Voodoo Doll
by Kleia
Summary: And she was like a blade of ice. Like a lonely road; clearest day alive. Always sharp and cold. Always beautiful. —AU, ZaziexOC. Rated T for safety.
1. First Day

**Voodoo Doll**

 **A/N:** This chapter might be long… and boring.

 **WARNING:** May contain curses.

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee—only her OCs._

 **SUMMARY:** "And I don't understand what's up and I keep saying things I never say!"

* * *

 **Chapter One – First Day**

 _It was a he, and he was glaring at her._

* * *

Emi knew she was not exactly a morning person, nor was she lazy, but right now, she just couldn't bring herself to get off her own bed. It was like the force of gravity really pulled itself down upon her.

Her alarm clock had just been turned off after a series of disturbing and loud rings, and she was left to staring at her dark ceiling, her right hand hanging on her desk, right beside her alarm clock. It was only five in the morning—it was fairly dark and the stars were still awake and twinkling, but the world was about to be painted in sunshine in no time. In times like these, she would still be sleeping soundly and profoundly, surrounding herself in her sea of dreams. But her alarm clock had to ruin it for her.

School will start in three and a half hours, and she was not prepared. She felt like time flew by like how she rapidly turned her book pages whenever she gets bored of the paragraphs and sentences. And now, she was back to being a busy bee, a multitasking person, and a procrastinator. It was all the same cycle every year anyway.

But this year, she was entering a new school. She'll meet new faces, new teachers, new subjects, new everything. It gave her a troubled feeling in the pits of her stomach as the thought popped up. She brought her hand to her forehead and ran it through half her hair in frustration. She didn't like the thought of having to socialize—to introduce in front of the class, to read in front of everyone, and to be forced to do anything in class. But she knew she couldn't avoid that. It's what transferees would always do.

She sighed through her nose as she finally propped herself up from her bed. She felt like it held a visible human magnet somewhere, because her body had never felt so heavy as she sat up, as if the bed was trying hard to pull her back in and make her continue her slumber. Glancing at her alarm clock, she frowned as the bright red numbers showed _5:03 AM_ , with the colon blinking each second _._

Emi groggily set aside her thick blanket and planted her feet on the floor, instantly slipping in her white fury fox slippers as she slowly stood up and stretched, moaning at the sound of her joints popping. She grabbed the bundle of her now-long hair and ran her hand through it, an attempt to tame her bed hair. She then faced her bed and stared to arrange the pillows, fluff them, and put them in their respective places before neatly folding her blanket—all she did in precision.

Afterwards, she snatched her towel from her coat rack and proceeded in her bathroom. Stepping in the shower after peeling off her clothes, another sigh had escaped her lips as soon as hot water came rushing down her skin.

The thought of school was like a door with a broken lock—it would randomly come in, then after a minute or two, she was already submerged in another thought. She could never lock that door because she couldn't. It was unavoidable, and she knew that other people, if not all, have experienced that too. She didn't even feel like she had spent her vacation according to plan, when all she ever did was read, sleep, listen to music, take occasional trips to the grocery—and when she had the time, mood, and money, she'd go buy clothes, which was a rare occasion—and do whatever she wanted to do ever since school ended.

She wasn't the type of girl to arrange all sorts of appointments to pretty herself up, or to go to the mall with friends the whole day, shopping and doing whatever. And she would never go to clubs, bars, and parties, even if the time calls for it. She dreads loud and crowded places, so she mostly spent her vacation inside her safe haven—her house. But since her mother had decided that Emi should go to a prestigious school—considering her brains—her mother had moved her to an apartment where her school is a station away. The apartment was just right for a person like her, and it sufficed.

Emi opened the shower curtain after drying up, stepping out. She then strolled towards the door and opened it, escaping the humidity of her bathroom. She immediately felt cold as she exited the bathroom, her skin drying even more because of how chilly her room was. Or maybe it was because of the hot water she bathed in.

She took out her uniform from her closet and eyed it dubiously—it had a wide range of differences from her old school uniform. But she was in high school now. Things would definitely change.

Another sigh was heaved as she placed the uniform on her bed, slipping it in one by one after she wore her undergarments—her white button-down, blue-gray skirt, dark blue necktie, dark blue blazer with gold linings at the edges and the school's bee logo on her right chest, her knee-high stockings and brown leather shoes. All newly bought with the help of her mother.

Fixing her necktie in an attempt to slightly loosen it—her middle school uniform got the best of her—she trotted towards her small kitchen at the far right corner of her room and opened the refrigerator to grab herself a carton of milk. She opened a cupboard and snatched the container where the cereal was placed in and laid them on the small dining table, which was a few meters away from her small kitchen. She then walked back to the kitchen and opened another small cabinet and took a bowl and a spoon from their respective places and containers.

She sat herself down, filled the bowl with cereal and milk, and silently munched on her breakfast. Her mind was blank as she locked gazes with the window, which showed the view of a sky tainted in blue and orange. Her room was brightening up, bit by bit, as she finished her light meal.

Emi gently stood up, brought her bowl to the sink, and washed it clean. She entered the bathroom once again to brush her teeth, constantly staring at her own reflection in the mirror. She eyed her messy and damp blonde hair after she put her toothbrush back to its place, and frowned. She took her comb from its container and gently combed through the curls and tangles, some droplets of water splatting on the tiled floor of her bathroom. She always liked her own curls better than having dead straight hair, even if it hurts having to rake through her hard knots every morning.

Walking towards her study desk to get her bag and some excess books—she didn't know they'd have loads of them—she took a glance at her digital clock: _6:02 AM,_ it read. She blinked in slight surprise and furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She would always finish earlier than that, but maybe she was just used to how late she woke up during her vacation.

She shook her head lightly, grabbed her keys, and walked out of her room, locking it afterwards. She then nonchalantly climbed down the stairs since she was only on the second floor and walked towards the station to proceed to her new school, her stomach doing summersaults as she took a step closer to Yuusari High.

 **0-0-0-0-0**

The strong smell of cherry blossoms evaded her sense of smell as she walked along the paths of Yuusari High, with their pink petals falling five centimeters per second towards the ground, swathing it with its fresh scent and look. It looked like as if she was in a movie, because she couldn't believe a school to be this placid, beautiful, enthralling—she could use any word she knew to describe how amazed she was. But it was a prestigious school. This was to be expected.

"Hey Emi," a suave voice suddenly called from behind her, a fit of giggles following afterward.

She blinked and turned around to see a familiar-looking boy with two girls softly giggling on each side. He seemed like a view from a blurry window. Emi slightly furrowed her eyebrows in an attempt to remember his name. "Oh…" she started, simply staring at him, who was eyeing her with his bright eyes. Emi knew she was a forgetful person, however, studies and lectures are an exception. She always tried her best to remember each keyword and meaning she high-lighted. It was for her mother's sake, anyway—she always worked hard, arriving home in the wee hours of the night, exhausted and aching. So Emi pushed herself to study hard ever since primary school.

Then suddenly, she inwardly snapped her finger. "Hiro… long time no see." She simply said, then turned around and continued her peaceful walk towards the school, not even bothering to know what Hiro would say—

"Don't you want to walk with me today? It's been a long time since we walked together," he kindly offered, his voice sounding distant because of her clouding thoughts.

She turned around once again. "Where to?" she asked, confused at his statement.

His shoulders shook as a laugh escaped his lips. "Still as dense as ever… to school, of course." He pointed out, staring directly at her eyes with his.

"I think we're in school already… so there's no need for you to walk me now. I could do it on my own," she dubiously said, blinking at him as she kept her face straight. "And maybe your hands are full." She bluntly pointed out, glancing at the girls on each side of him, eyeing her curiously and with a hint of irritation. "Thank you." She finally said before turning to leave once again, never looking back.

She was rather shocked to find her primary school friend to be in the same high school as her. She didn't consider it to be some sort of miracle—as what other girls who are head over heels over him would think—but it was just a plain coincidence that she happened to bump into him and she knew it was perfectly normal for her to forget his name—they were kids during that time anyway (and she recalled that she called him a name other than Hiro. And he grew a lot... his hair wasn't like that back then), plus, she knew how much she grew, so it was a shock for her that he recognized her.

She glanced at her wristwatch and lowly sighed, picking up her pace as she neared the entrance of the school, slackening it just as she entered. Her eyes roamed around the hallways filled with students and lockers. Mumbles, squeals, chatters, and roaring laughter resounded across the hall, but it seemed like the pupils were used to it even though they just came from their break.

Albeit the already-crowded hallways, straight ahead of her was an even more crowded space. She quirked her eyebrows and pursed her lips, momentarily pausing from her walk as she continued to eye the crowd. She adjusted the books that were resting on her arm and once again started to walk to where the crowd was—

It took her a second to realize the sharp pain that rushed through her right shoulder and her scattered books on the floor. She remained dumbfounded for a moment before traveling her confused gaze from the floor to the relatively tall figure inches in front of her, scowling. It was a he, and he was glaring at her. She frowned.

"So—" she began her apology, but he simply brushed past her with a sigh, eyes closed and lips carved into a frown.

"Just watch your way next time…" he muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets. Emi heard a few incoherent mumbles following after, both from him and some students walking by and watching them, but she cared less and crouched down, picking up all her books as if nothing happened and stood up, throwing glances at the students around her. Some were still staring at her while some returned to their businesses.

She looked back and no longer saw the familiar figure of the 'he' she bumped into. Lightly shrugging it off, she continued to walk towards the crowded place and pushed herself through the front—they kept on pushing her and clicking their tongues and blocking her way but some were kind enough to give way—realizing that it were sheets of paper with names and sections printed on it.

Emi narrowed her eyes and searched for her grade level, feeling somewhat disturbed at the squeals and thwarted sighs that seemed too lurid for her sensitive ears. When she finally found her level, she traced her index finger along the paper, her eyes rapidly scanning the paper for her last name while also being amused at the different surnames she saw.

Finally, she found her surname and her section being _3-A_. But she wasn't in the mood to skip to class just yet, so she scanned through the paper even more, blinking at the unique names her eyes saw. But one name caught her interest—it wasn't a name she commonly saw among the papers like Ria, Misaki, Tadashi, and the like. It was Zazie, and its—she wasn't sure if the name 'Zazie' applies to a boy or a girl, or maybe it was really unisex—in the same class as her, and it had an interesting last name, which was Winters. Zazie Winters. It had a nice ring to it.

Realizing that it was almost time for classes to start, she turned to stride towards her classroom.

But she didn't know where it was.

With the students slowly dispersing to go off to their own rooms, she was left standing alone steps away from the board, along with a few latecomers, although it was only thirty minutes before classes will start. She blankly stared into thin air, feeling embarrassed of her own mistake. She turned her head to once again look at the sheets of paper tacked on the board. Thinking that maybe a map for newcomers was on the board, she attempted to scan her eyes among the numerous pieces of paper—

A feminine sigh was heard beside her. "I'm in 3-C… I even thought that I'd get in A." She muttered in disappointment.

"Oh, you're in the same class as me!" a cheery voice exclaimed beside her, catching Emi's attention, but she'd rather not look at their direction. She kept her ears open. "3-C, right? Let's go, we're gonna be late!" She offered as she grabbed the disappointed girl's hand and led her to the right way. Probably those two didn't even know each other.

Once Emi was sure they were in a safe distance away from her, she snapped her head to their direction and discreetly followed them to their classrooms, mentally hoping that hers was just nearby. She listened to their laughter and prattles, considering them to be a guide to her destination. As she walked towards her classroom, her eyes darted around the hall and found it to be massive, with doors and lockers and posters lined up across the walls, and tall windows standing opposite each other, making the hall even bigger than it seemed.

Rolls of laughter, teases, and gossips were heard from a distance, and Emi instantly knew she was nearing. She glanced up at the small boards located beside each door of the corridor. Noticing how her classroom was the first room in the corridor, she abruptly stopped from walking, slightly stumbling, and parked herself in front of the classroom's sliding door. She brought her cold hand to the handle, and—

"Ms. Hunter?" a formal feminine voice called, and Emi snapped her head to see a middle-aged woman walking professionally to her. Her glasses glinted in the light. And only then Emi recognized the familiar blonde hair and emerald eyes she saw on the day of the examination.

"Sub-Master Aria…!" she stammered. She found it peculiar for the students to call their Vice Principal as Sub-Master, but perhaps it was their tradition. It had a nice ring to it anyway.

Aria smiled softly at her. "I'll be your homeroom adviser," she informed, and Emi could only nod as her hand never left the handle of the door. "Now let's get in. I'll introduce you to the class," she said. Emi felt a strong pang of anxiety in her chest. She didn't need introductions. She didn't want them. "After all, you're the only new student for this class. For the other sections, well, they have a lot of newbies." Aria continued, obviously not perceiving how tense Emi was. "That just shows how good you did in the test. Now, let's get in, shall we?" she added once more with a small smile.

And without further ado, Aria casually opened the door and Emi instantly heard how silent the class went. And her heart instantly didn't function as a heart. She inwardly clicked her tongue at how nervous she felt.

"Good morning, everyone," Aria said after a pregnant silence.

"Good morning, Sub-Master Aria!" the class greeted back, all eyes on her.

Aria confidently strode to the front of the class and planted her things on the table. "We have a new student for this year," she informed and suddenly she turned her head to Emi, and she felt herself withdrawing, taking steps backward. But she can't chicken out now. She won't. She wouldn't. She _shouldn't._ So she took small steps forward and only then did she realize she was in front of a sea of strangers. She battled with anxiety and faced the class, not knowing what face she had on.

"This is Emi Hunter," Aria said, and Emi felt eyes pierced on her back. "Do you have anything to say, Ms. Hunter?"

Emi blinked in slight shock and panic. She calmed herself down. "Nice to meet you all... I hope we'll get along well." She said, attempting to sound as calm as possible as her gray eyes landed on different faces.

"Thank you," Aria said. "Does anyone have questions?"

Emi watched as the class chorused: "None, Sub-Master," as some merely shook their head no. She felt relieved. She didn't have to entertain questions and give answers that would probably end up as lies and make-beliefs. It happens whenever she's nervous.

"Okay then. Miss Hunter, you may sit wherever you want for now," Aria informed and turned a heel towards the door. "Oh, temporary President, come with me for a while." She called out before striding to the door and going out, probably waiting for the person she called for outside.

Now, Emi stood in front of the class, bewildered. Her limbs turned numb or maybe she just thought that she came out of a freezer. Her gray eyes rapidly scanned the classroom for an empty chair as everyone turned back to their businesses (which was talking with their friends). She noticed a hand waving at her peripheral vision, and when she turned to take a peek at who was calling her attention, she was shocked, to say the least, that it was her old friend Mia.

Seeing her familiar black hair tied into a loose ponytail along with her mesmerizing emerald eyes, Emi couldn't help but softly smile at her. She needn't to wait minutes for her to stride to Mia, as she already found herself sitting beside her, at the front row. Albeit the fact that Emi disliked sitting at the front row—since it was there that teachers would often call students and she would be easily seen at that spot—she didn't bother since she knew seating arrangements were to come.

"Emi! It's so nice to finally see you again!" Mia energetically squealed, hugging Emi in the process, shocking her with the sudden contact. But Emi didn't seem to mind. She hugged back.

Emi knew how Mia liked to hug people. She even pinches Emi's cheeks if she has to, constantly forgetting the day when Emi had told her how uncomfortable she is to physical touches. It wasn't like Emi's parents didn't give her affection as a child—they did—she just wasn't accustomed to other people besides her parents hugging her and the like. In her opinion, it's simply weird. But then she realized that girls do it around other girls as if it was a normal thing to do, so she just dealt with Mia's clinginess around her since middle school.

"Long time no see, Mia," Emi quietly said, shrinking back into her seat, softly smiling.

"What's with the formality? Cut it out, Em. We're close friends, so use slang on me, okay?" Mia said with a grin so big her eyes closed. Emi couldn't help but smile back and nod. "So how come you enrolled here? I didn't mean it in a mean way, of course. Just asking!"

"Mom didn't want me to be in a school with poor education… so she made me take a boat all the way here… and now I'm living by myself in my aunt's former apartment. But mom will pay for my rent and bills… she said she wanted me to learn how to live by myself so I could be prepared." Emi explained, face blank yet she let her emotions leak out of her.

She nodded in understanding. "I see."

"Your name is Emi, right?" a sweet and polite voice from behind her said. Emi turned to look and saw a very pretty silver-haired girl with azure eyes looking at her with sincere kindness. But all Emi could do was give her a blank stare. The girl giggled. "Emi gives off a very mature feeling, huh, Mia?"

"Hm, not really… It's a looong story, my friend." Mia casually said, but Emi couldn't deny the sudden pang in her chest.

Emi blinked at the girl. "Please take care of me."

She blinked back, obviously shocked at the sudden gesture Emi did. "Ah, I'm Sylvette! Please take care of me, too!"

And as if on cue, the temporary president of the class came in, bowl in hand. "Alright everyone, Sub-Master Aria told me that we would be having our seating arrangements right now, 'scramble dash.'" He informed, lifting his hands to quote the words. "So everyone line up and get a number here after I draw the arrangements, alright?" he only got grunts and noises in response and Emi could only heave a sigh.

* * *

 **A/N:** And I present to you, Chapter One of my second Letter Bee story, now in an AU! *clap clap clap*

Well, the first purpose of this story is to, of course, give you entertainment. But that's a given, so it isn't considered. That aside, I've been having this idea for years that it's basically rotting in the depths of my mind these past few months. (I published this plot on another fanfiction... but it just didn't work. It just didn't.) So, of course, I had to let it out.

Second, I've been really meaning to have a Letter Bee AU since I've been observing how most of the stories here are basically in the original universe. So, why not let the characters experience a world with day and night? And school? *mischievous glare*

And third, this story can really take your boredom off waiting for another chapter from Secrecy. (I don't know about you though, but not writing anything yet on Chapter Fourteen sucks. Chapter Thirteen's done, by the way!)

So there you have it; Voodoo Doll. And I hope you'll enjoy for the rest of the ride!


	2. Lunchtime

**Voodoo Doll**

 **WARNING:** This story is _slightly_ combined with the manga _Hibi Chouchou._ I do not own anything!

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee—only her OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter Two – Lunchtime**

 _She was pretty but not too pretty._

* * *

Zazie arrived at his class while they were presumably doing their seating arrangement—something he dreaded each year. Not only did he hate how his classmates were always so damn noisy whenever this happens, he also hates how he was forced to sit with a stranger and make friends with him/her. Sometimes the person he sits with was a crazy head-over-heels-in-love-with-his-looks-and-coolness girl who always giggles violently and shifts closer to him which was _unbelievably_ annoying and creepy. But those 'admirers' of him were only a trickle, not unlike the other guys (like Jiggy Pepper and Gauche Suede) whose aficionadas would spread throughout the school. Even the teachers adored them. So he considered himself as a normal being in the school with fans and haters just like everyone else.

"Zazie, you came here late so please stop staring and get one folded piece of paper in this bowl right here. And if you won't mind, you could look at the illustration of the seating arrangement drawn on the board. It'll be our arrangement for two whole semesters. No swapping or take-backs." The president informed as Zazie nonchalantly took a piece of ripped paper from the bowl, opening it to see his number: _9._ His seatmate would be number thirteen, or so the board says.

"Alright, now please stay at the back with the others and wait for your number to be called." He informed and Zazie nodded, his lips stretching into what he hoped was a small smirk before turning around and walking towards the back. His eyes traveled from the far left corner of the room to the right, seeing familiar faces and strangers alike.

He stood still at the front row and silently waited for his name to be called. He didn't pay attention to the voice of the president, because all he could think of is that vacation is over and now he's back in this crappy place called school. He knows how school is beneficial for his future, but it's what he learns in school. Finding x and y isn't even used in life! Screw finding x and y. But then again, he felt like vacation had passed by like a breeze. He even felt like he didn't do anything memorable during his break from school.

A tap on his shoulder, and Zazie looked over to see who tapped him. It was a girl, and she pointed to the front, obviously blushing. Zazie brushed it off and snapped his head to the front, eyes meeting the president's. Zazie raised a brow.

"Winters, take your seat with Hunter," he said, gesturing over to his seat. "Over there." It was by the window, and a girl with long curly blonde hair was sitting by it. Her hair looked familiar. But what caught his attention was her last name. He thought she was originally a boy.

Zazie shook the first impression off and strode over to his seat, and sat down quietly. Once again his ears were blocked off from the others' noises. He clasped his hands together and planted his clasped fingers over his nose, remaining silent. Should he talk to her? Maybe he shouldn't. Maybe she'll talk to him first. Why is he even thinking about talking to her? Maybe she's not even thinking about anything. Maybe she's just sitting there like a rock without any thought in mind. Maybe he should take a small look at her.

He took a sideway-long glance at her, and all he saw was a bunch of blonde hair. He then slightly turned his head to her to take a better look at her, and he did. He saw her face. (She was pretty but not too pretty. Maybe the right kind of pretty. The kind of pretty that takes some time to look at, that's what he thought about her.) She was simply staring at her table without any emotion. Her hands were holding the sides of her seat and just then Zazie couldn't point out what air they had between them. He couldn't tell if it was awkward or comfortable. But whatever. They'll talk someday. One way or another. So he shouldn't think about it much.

"Alright so that will be your seating arrangement for two whole semesters." The president announced and half of the class was filled with grumbles and murmurs. He cleared his throat and raised a finger, signaling silence. "We'll be having our first class in a few and after this, recess. That's all. Minimize your noise!" he exclaimed and went to his seat afterward.

Zazie didn't know what to do so he simply folded his arms on his table and laid his head on them. He didn't want to talk to the new girl, and the newbie acted as if she didn't want to interact either. What was the use?

The thing about sitting almost beside the window and being the second row to the last was that it was one of the best seats Zazie could ever ask for. If he could only move one seat back and one seat left, he would be the most satisfied boy in the class.

He wasn't the one to talk or just to make noise. Unlike his other stupid classmates, who are being rowdy so to speak. He wasn't pretty fond of noise. Which is why he prefers sleep over activities, being alone than being with many people, silence over sound. Maybe that was why people called him 'different' in middle school. Because, unlike the other guys (who were rowdy and stupid and annoying) he was silent and he simply didn't care about anything, in a good way. But that was what his former classmates told him way back then.

"Class is starting! Everyone settle down!"

* * *

Eating lunch at the back of the school wasn't so bad for Zazie, since he was eating with his two most trusted friends (which were a white-haired boy who cries a lot for his age and a fat-ass man who is obsessed with pizza— known as Lag and Connor, respectively). Both of them were complete dorks, but at least they were there for him through thick and thin. And that was enough for him. They were dorks who he could trust.

"It's sad that we're not classmates this year, Zazie…" Lag sadly muttered, staring at his bento box just as despondently. "We could still eat lunch like this, though. It's fun!" he said, now grinning. Zazie could only give him a look of uncertainty. The thing about Lag is that his mood could change in approximately 0.03 seconds. It scared him, to say the least, because one moment he's all smiles and giggles, then the next moment it'll be flooding because of his goddamn tears.

"So how's your class, Zazie?" Conner asked, his mouth full of pizza.

He shrugged. "Okay, I guess. It's the usual." He answered, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

"Any new students? Ah, I hope there is! I want to make new friends this year!" Lag exclaimed, a gleam of hope and excitement in his eyes. Zazie couldn't help but grab him by the neck and ruffle his white shaggy hair with his knuckle, causing Lag to shriek and sob. ("How come you're so energetic after coming out of vacation?" he asked as he knuckled Lag's head.) "Ouch Zazie that hurts! Knock it off!" he shouted, tears forming in his eyes.

He snickered and obeyed, letting Lag go. "Eh, I think we have a new student in class… She's my seatmate, but I don't really care." He said halfheartedly, eyes gazing up the clear blue sky. As his bronze eyes darted down to the rooftop railing, he thought he was hallucinating when he saw the girl he was talking about standing there. Holding. Onto. The. Railing. It wasn't like she was about to jump off or something, and it wasn't like Zazie cared that whether or not she was looking at them or somewhere else, but he felt a pang in his chest when he suddenly saw her there. He suddenly started twitching. She must've shocked him. Damn her.

"What're you looking at?" Connor asked, still munching.

Just as Connor was about to look at where he was looking, he averted his gaze and said: "Nothing," almost too hurriedly and nervously.

"Is she the one you were talking about?" Lag intervened, and now Zazie realized that he was looking at her again, her blonde hair swaying messily with the wind. He could only grunt at Lag's question. "Wow, she looks pretty." Lag sighed, definitely meaning it.

That was a first from Lag. Sure he'd been around girls (a bit too much, really) and he'd always treat them by the same token and compliment them, but he has never praised a girl from afar. And Zazie could only gape at him as if he'd grown two heads. He watched Lag as he squinted more to where the girl was and saw his face brighten up instantly.

"Ah hey, is that Sylvette?"

Conner chewed and chewed. "I guess so." He answered, voice muffled.

"Why don't we go up there and join them? We have lots of time with us!" Lag initiated. Zazie gulped. No way in hell would he go up there just to see some girls he didn't even care about. Lag turned to look at him with pleading eyes. "Come on, Zazie! It's time to make some new friends!"

"You just say that so you have an excuse to be with Sylvette…" Connor mumbled, but it was apparent that Lag heard as he flushed.

"That—that's not it! You're making it up, Connor!" he exclaimed, face beet red.

Zazie smirked, folding his arms across his chest. He gave Lag a teasing stare. "Right…"

He turned even redder than before, causing Zazie to chuckle. "I—it's not true…!"

"Yeah whatever you say, Lag," Zazie mischievously said, nudging Lag in the process. He then stood up after the teasing (with Lag still looking like a fully ripened tomato) and stretched, moaning in satisfaction. "Anyway, since Lag insisted we go up there, then fine… but I'm going back right after we enter." He said and slowly started walking to their destination.

"Yay! To the rooftop!" Lag happily shouted as he ran past him, Connor in tow. ("Gah—hey—Lag wait—I'm not done eating…!" he exclaimed, bits of food falling from his mouth.)

Since Lag was almost one of the popular kids (he didn't want to admit it, but Zazie was glad Lag was a humble dork so now he was hanging out with two nobody's) he passed down the hallways smiling or waving at his 'friends.' Most of them smiled and waved like him, and some greeted like, "'Sup Lag?" or "Hey there Seeing!" as he and Connor whispered to each other, and he swore to God he saw sparkles around Lag as he greeted the students.

When they all reached the quiet part of the hallway, Lag started speaking up. "So Zazie, have you talked to this girl?"

"Kinda. I bumped into her this morning." He explained, rubbing his nape with a blank expression on his face as he shoved his other hand into his blazer's pocket. "I just told her to watch her way then went somewhere besides my annoying classroom. Too noisy."

"You didn't help her carry her books or walk her to her classroom?" Lag asked, voice breathless. Obviously he was hurt at his actions. As always.

He shoved his other hand in the other pocket and shrugged. "Eh, she wasn't even carrying anything that much and I didn't know where her classroom was and I didn't want to ask her so I just walked away." He said in his best dismissing tone so Lag would shut up. He decided to add: "And it wasn't like she needed help or anything. If she did need help she would've asked for it."

"Maybe she's just the quiet type but she really _did_ need your help." Connor pointed out, huffing.

"… Help in what?"

"I don't know… are we almost there?"

One more staircase to go and that would lead them to the rooftop. Zaze nodded at Connor's question. "Either way, Lag, you shouldn't be worrying about it too much. She's my seatmate for two whole semesters. We're gonna talk one way or another. Don't sweat it." He said, though it came out much more rudely than he intended it to be. He just hoped that Lag didn't take it to heart.

He sighed. "Okay."

Zazie watched Lag as he swung the door open, predictably, his mood changed from down to up and Zazie still couldn't figure out how he did that. "Hey everyone! Do you mind if we join you guys for lunch?" his voice boomed across the staircase.

"Oh sure!" Sylvette's familiar voice echoed from the rooftop.

Zazie reluctantly walked in with Connor, his eyes immediately scanning the area. There was Sylvette, a black-haired girl and the blonde. In the middle of the rooftop lay a blanket with their bentos on it. Typical lunch setting for three girls.

"You know these people?" the black-haired girl asked, her eyes traveling to each one of them. Her emerald eyes last stopped on Zazie, curiously and mysteriously scanning him with narrowed eyes. Hopefully he had his best poker face on. However, she suddenly pointed a finger at him, saying: "We're classmates… right?"

He shrugged, honestly not knowing whether they were in the same class or not. Zazie didn't make it a point to observe whatever class he was in, he would just be shocked that his friends were there with him or if a random former classmate was once again in the same class as him.

"I'm Lag, this is Connor, and that's Zazie! Connor and I are from different classes. Nice to meet you!" Lag cheerfully introduced, making hand gestures to his friends as he grinned. "Sylvette knew us from middle school. We almost always had the same classes together—all four of us! That's why we know each other well." He explained, earning nods from the three girls.

"Anyway, Lag, Connor, Zazie," Sylvette eyed him expectantly, though he didn't know why, "this is Mia, and the girl beside her is Emi. The three of us are classmates." She pointed to the black-haired girl then to the blonde respectively. Mia smiled at the three boys whilst Emi simply scanned the three boys observantly, Zazie noticed how she blinked when her eyes landed on him. Somehow, she emitted an aura he couldn't explain. It was clear she was a hard nut to crack.

"Nice to meet all of you! Say, you three can come and join us for lunch anytime!" Mia ecstatically said, giving them a comical thumbs up.

Connor instantly made his way to the blanket and sat on it cross-legged. "You can count on it, Mia!" he exclaimed as Lag also strolled to the blanket, sitting down politely. The three girls followed suit and sat as well, instantly chatting with the two boys, more specifically Lag.

Zazie pursed his lips at the sight and he cringed inwardly. He really couldn't see himself having lunch with more than two people—especially with girls. Unlike Lag, he doesn't know how to approach girls. Not that he was shy—he really wasn't—but he doesn't have any knowledge about girls and about how to talk normally to them. Being with boys was definitely him—heck, he couldn't even see himself dating for God's sake.

"Zazie, come join us! It's fun!" Lag shouted from his spot, catching Zazie's attention as he snapped his head to Lag, leaning more on the wall beside the door, hands in his pockets as usual.

He sweat-dropped at the sight of Lag having a mini tea party with three girls, laughing and telling jokes. Connor, meanwhile, was busy finishing off the girls' leftovers after asking them. _Lag… are you a girl?_ He thought, wincing at Lag, who seemed to be enjoying with the company he got. Honestly, Lag _could_ be a girl. His voice was developed, sure, but it didn't stop him from hanging out with girls. Perhaps it was because of living in a house with a little sister and a mother. They were all he has, but of course, he also has Zazie's and Connor's backs.

Zazie sighed, pushing himself off the wall and lazily walking to the group, a bored look etched on his face as he sat down with the group, remaining quiet as all of them chatted away. He folded his arms indifferently, a small frown on his face as he kept his eyes averted from the group. The noise didn't seem to bother him but he couldn't shrug off the feeling of someone's stare piercing through him after a few moments of sitting quietly.

He decided to take a look on who that might be, and found himself staring back at Emi, who seemed to be analyzing him and looking at him as if she was expecting him to talk to her, which he found impossible to do, given the situation. She was silently watching him, sitting in the middle of Sylvette and Mia, who were still busy talking. He blinked and noticed that her eyes were gray—a rare eye color. He'd seen very few people who had the same eyes as her, but he viewed it as dull. Gray was a dull color for him, so he removed his eyes from Emi's and muttered loud enough for Lag to hear: "I'm going back…"

He swiftly stood up and left for the door, not sparing a glance at the remaining five people and opened the door before hearing Lag shouting after him while, he presumed, pulling an unwilling Connor with him as he apologetically and cheerfully bid his farewell. ("Ah Zazie…! Wait for us! Come on, Connor! We have to chase after Zazie! Goodbye, thanks for your hospitality!" Lag exclaimed all at once.) He left the door open but instead of waiting right outside, he climbed down the stairs and waited for his friends who immediately caught up with him.

"What's wrong, Zazie?" Lag asked, worry evident in his voice.

Zazie didn't turn around to look at Lag and kept an apathetic look on his face. He didn't want to answer Lag's question because he didn't really understand the situation itself. Indeed, he really didn't know how to approach girls. "… Girls." He simply said, audible enough for Lag and Connor to hear.

"Ah that's right… Zazie doesn't know how to talk to girls." Connor said in realization, and Zazie nodded.

"But don't you think it's time for you to talk to them? I mean, we're juniors now… we're gonna graduate soon and…" Lag's voice faded, apparently not knowing what to say to Zazie's situation anymore.

He then started walking, leaving his two friends dumbfounded. He planted his hands in his uniform pockets and slowly strolled to his classroom. Growing up with both parents deceased at the young age of ten, being taken care of by his kind uncle, being in a soccer club, and spending most of his free time with guys caused him to not interact that much with girls. Let alone feel his own mother's love. He frowned.

To say he was sad at that time was an understatement. He was alone, depressed, lost. His uncle didn't help him emotionally but merely financially. He would, at times, imagine what it would be like if his mother and father were alive and right beside him. What it would be like having them again.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head simultaneously. It was no time for depressing thoughts. _Save it for later,_ he thought, instead focusing on his trip back to his classroom, a sigh escaping his lips.

* * *

 **A/N:** How was it? Lol I hope it wasn't boring. Well guys, I'm already starting on the 7th chapter of this little feller! (I decided to have this strategy of being 5 chapters ahead before publishing a chapter.) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! And read _Secrecy_ for me as well!


	3. Solitude

**Voodoo Doll**

 **A/N:** Alright alright hello everyone! I'm so very sorry about the long and unannounced absence. :( I've been really busy with the trainings and workshops I've been attending. And school now starts within a week. (So I've been writing and drawing like there's no tomorrow to compensate for my absence. Strangely, I didn't have any muse. It just came out.)

Anyway, here's Chapter Three of Voodoo Doll! As for Secrecy, I've been trying my hardest to continue my chapter, but I just can't get my ideas out yet. I'll try my best to update it as soon as I can, and possibly - before school starts.

On the last note, though, from this point, I will not have any more Author's Notes at the end of every chapter. Unless needed.

 **WARNING:** _May contain curses._

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee. Only her OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter Three – Solitude**

 _Trust is hard to gain when someone is with her._

* * *

She was home, finally. In her same old apartment, same old ceiling, same old floor, same old everything. Somewhat she felt so blue gloomy lonely and maybe it was just because she misses her mom so much she felt her heart ache. She frowned and walked towards her desk and plopped her bag on top of it and collapsed on the bed. She still had to prepare dinner but she was just so tired. Tired in a way that something was weighing her down down down on her shoulders. But she didn't know what. Then she sighed and laid there for a moment, listening to nothing but silence and her own thoughts about nothing. Then she felt so noisy so she stood up but still heard silence around her.

Maybe she should go out and get some fresh air. That's right. Probably buy food to-go. She wasn't in the mood to cook anyway. It won't hurt to go outside where there are people tons of them and boys who would maybe come and get her. Suddenly she felt scared but nonetheless, she changed into some random casual wear, grabbed her wallet and keys, locked her door, went down the stairs and left her apartment.

It was just the first day but she didn't feel that way. It felt like it was already in the middle of the year. Maybe it was because of the many things that happened today. (Even as she entered the school something had already happened.) She sighed, shoving her hands in her pockets because they were getting slightly chilly.

She still felt as if she were floating on water, weightless thoughtless. She felt like she was still in her own little world. But no she wasn't school has started and now she has to adjust to everything she has to deal with people and home works and projects and everything else. She wouldn't spend her time like she used to now because of that. She frowned and let out a small sigh once again.

She went inside the convenience store (she wasn't _that_ hungry anyway) and listened to the chimes as she entered. Her grey and dull eyes instantly scanned the area. She strolled towards the drinks section and walked along the aisle, eyes roaming around the different titles of juices and sodas and coffees and beers and milk. Once she spotted her favorite drink (chocolate milk. She drinks it with almost anything.), she opened the glass cabinet and fished it out, a small and triumphant smile on her lips. She eyed it for a moment in delight before closing the door and striding over to the food section (more likely the canned goods and noodles). She pursed her lips, finding nothing she wanted.

She then walked away from the aisle, eyes still on the canned food. Maybe she'll get those microwavable meals—

Once more this day, she bumped into someone again. She should really watch her way next time. She snapped her head to the person and slightly bowed her head, not daring to look at his face. (She knew judging by the clothing style. Definitely male.) She—

"Ah it's you again…" a familiar bored-sounding voice said in front of her. It was still the one she bumped into. She looked up and blinked. It was Zazie.

And he was wearing glasses. Black rectangular glasses.

Not the glasses without the frame. The kind of glasses which are stylish yet aren't for casual use too. She could tell it had a grade. It suited him though. She wondered why he doesn't use it in school. But then she just realized she had been staring at him for who-knows-how-long. So she blinked and averted her gaze from his and eyed the floor instead, and instantly, she found the shininess of the floor intriguing.

He should've spotted the chocolate milk she was holding, because the next thing he said was: "… Buying food for dinner… or something?" and she nodded as a reply.

She then tried to push past him quietly since he was quiet afterward. She proceeded to the microwavable food and grabbed a microwavable spaghetti. She walked towards the register and saw Zazie holding his own plastic bag and reading some magazines by the entrance. She blinked at him as she placed the chocolate milk and spaghetti on the counter, silently waiting for the man to finish punching in her later dinner.

When she handed the man her money, she noticed the familiar look in his eyes, and it sent shivers down her spine. He was eyeing her in a way she didn't want to be looked at. She felt disgusted and instantly grabbed the plastic bag from him, making sure to not touch his hands and rushed out of the store, heart beating fast in apprehension. This is what boys do to her. And she hate hate hates it. Passionately. She sighed as she panted due to the nervousness and tension.

The moment she regained her breathing, she let out a last huff of breath before deciding to cross the road in a trance, still trembling from the man's gaze—

A hand gripped on her elbow so tight that it brought her back to reality. She was being pulled back to the sidewalk as she watched the car speed past her, honking in the process. She should really pull herself together. But then she grasped the fact that she was shaking once again, and she was still in the man's firm grip. She let out a shaky breath as he let go of her elbow and decided that it was her cue to thank him.

Again it was Zazie. (Who else could it be? Certainly not the cashier.) And he was giving her a look of disappointment and maybe pity. She frowned and blinked, bowing again in gratitude.

He wasn't satisfied. "… You almost got yourself injured," he pointed, gesturing to the road before them, wherein another speeding car passed by them, leaving behind a slight gust of smoke and dirt. Emi looked down once again in response. "… You… you were shaking…" it was obvious that he doesn't know what to say. "… Was it the cashier?" he asked, and, since she didn't have any choice, she bobbed her head up and down. She felt herself shaking again.

"Do you… want me to walk you home?"

She snapped her eyes at him and she hoped she didn't look so hopeful at that question. She needed company. She's scared of walking on those streets at night. She wouldn't know what would pop out and get her. (So why did she even make that stupid decision of going out when she knew she was so scared thereafter?) "… Okay…" she answered, her voice slightly cracking.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zazie nod. "Let's go," he muttered and she nodded, looking at her left then right first before crossing.

As she was crossing the dark and empty road, she decided to look back to check if Zazie was with her. (Trust is hard to gain when someone is with her.) Sure enough, he was a good meter behind her, nonchalantly walking on the pedestrian lane. She blinked and faced ahead of her, feeling relieved that she had reached the end of the road. Now she has around five minutes left to reach her apartment.

Emi continued walking freely, feeling strange as to why she felt safe because she knew Zazie was right behind her. _Is he still… behind me?_ She wondered mentally. _Maybe I should check…_

She looked back and slightly stumbled due to shock since the said boy was now an arm's length away from her. She blinked as she regained her balance and decided to walk again as if nothing happened. _Al… right… he's still there, and he almost gave me a heart attack…_ she thought in embarrassment as she hid her face with her golden curls all the while nibbling on her index finger.

"Could you stop checking on me? I said I'll walk you home, so I will." He sounded pissed and more confident now albeit the fact that a while ago he was so awkward and tense.

"… Okay," she answered in a tiny voice, suddenly feeling scared of Zazie.

They walked again in thick silence with Emi watching her feet alternating their steps, leading them to her apartment. She wondered what time it was. Hopefully it wasn't too late.

She looked straight ahead and felt something summersault inside of her at the sight of her apartment. She then sped up her walking cadence and didn't bother looking back since she was too elated. She exhaled in relief. Almost there.

When she reached the apartment itself, she turned to see Zazie standing behind her, looking at the apartment. "Thank you for accompanying me," she bluntly said, suddenly becoming herself in front of a boy, for the first time (besides Hiro). She watched as Zazie nod and turn his back.

"Don't mention it…" he replied, not turning to look at her, before walking once again.

Emi didn't know why but she stayed there watching his retreating back until he blended with the darkness of the night before proceeding up her apartment. She went up the usual old stairs, not bothering to plant her hand on the banister. She walked down the hall until she reached her room, unlocked the door and went in, the silence once again entering her ears as soon as she turned on the lights.

She strolled towards the dining room and planted the plastic bag on the table, fishing out the microwavable spaghetti—which was not cold anymore—and popping it in the microwave, setting the specified time for it to heat. She took out the chocolate milk, set it on the table, crumpled the plastic bag and threw it away in the trash.

 _Ding!_

She blinked as she went over to the microwave. She grabbed her dinner and closed the microwave door. (It was so silent and maybe it was driving her crazy.) She opened the plastic container as she sat down the chair.

Emi took the plastic fork from inside the container—wow, it didn't have the spaghetti sauce stain on it—and dug in quietly. After a few forkfuls of her dinner, she decided to drink her chocolate milk. She ripped the side of the carton with ease and opened it, taking the time to savor the taste of her favorite drink as it traveled down her throat, leaving behind a creamy chocolaty taste she adores. She couldn't help but hum in satisfaction as she licked her chocolate moustache.

She finished her meal minutes later in silence, constantly thinking about how school would go for her about Zazie's glasses about how he _might_ live a block away from her about the stress she would feel about the struggles and problems. She threw away the now-finished dinner and walked towards her closet. She took out her sleepwear—her usual baggy shirt and shorts—and went inside the bathroom to change.

After her nightly routine, she went straight to bed with a yawn. She set her alarm clock once again, tucked herself in—

But she forgot to turn off the lights. How silly of her. She usually doesn't forget. Probably it was because of her thoughts that were eating her in like how a worm would do to an apple. She sighed through her nose and slid off the bed unwillingly, groggily walking over to the switch and flipping it off.

She navigated her way to her bed, bumping into a random chair at the process. She sighed. Alas, she finally found her bed with the use of her hands. Her lips curled upward in slight satisfaction. She then climbed up the comfortable bed, tucked herself in once again, and let the darkness eat her away.

And she couldn't help but wonder what tomorrow will bring.

x—x—x

She traced the slightly dusty spine of the books with her slender index finger, her gray eyes rapidly scanning for interesting titles, as if she were a pillager eyeing for its prey. The books were shuffled—some weren't even standing on the shelf, spine up—making Emi slightly annoyed as they were all grouped under the Non-Fiction section of the library. Some books were of history and geography, some were encyclopedias and almanacs, and the others she didn't bother to know. She had this huge urge to remove them all from the Non-Fiction section and put them in their original places. It was nerve-wrecking, and at the same time, she was annoyed with this 'condition' of hers—how she always wants everything clean. It has his benefits, but sometimes, it gets out of hand. (So she tries her best to control it.)

Today she wanted to be off alone—or rather, away from Zazie. She has been bumping into him a lot that it makes her uneasy to even see his being—since she finds everything quite tiring. Emotionally tiring. She wasn't used to dealing with a lot of happenings, so this was actually a first for her. She sighed. She really feels better like this—in solitude, without anyone pestering her about pointless issues and opinions. She likes being alone, and strangely, she never felt lonely being so. Emi was her own best friend companion confidant. She wouldn't need anyone else but herself. She was her own anchor.

Her finger stopped on a book that had caught her attention. She then stood on her tiptoes, attempting to reach for the book that had caught her eye. But unfortunately, it was either very hard to reach, or she was just short in stature. She inwardly cursed. She really did need to grow taller. All of the other kids were actually taller than her, if not by an inch. She suddenly felt so… _small_. She sighed once again, on the brink of giving up in stretching her arm to its fullest, even though it was pretty obvious that it was really high up (or at least, with her given height).

A hand.

It was reaching up for the same book she planned on getting just a few seconds ago.

She flinched and instantly turned around to see who was getting the book. She blinked. It was Hiro.

"Ah, Emi!" he silently greeted, putting his hand down. He was holding the book already. "I should've known it was you… I thought you were just another girl." He added with a chuckle. She didn't even smile back or even just nod her head in acknowledgement. She just downright stared at him. (Maybe he found it creepy, but she didn't really want to know.) She blinked twice and lightly pushed herself more against the shelf, her hands gripping on the lower shelves in utter shock.

He should've noticed how tense she was, for he backed up a step. She stood up straighter and looked at him right in the eye, silently daring him to say something. "So I noticed that you were reaching for this book?" he asked, presenting her the book. She took it with a nod. "It's actually pretty interesting. I've read it before." He said, and she nodded once again. She wanted to sit down, so she went for the tables and sat down on the farthest and most isolated part of the library. She opened the book and started reading.

She let her eyes scan the words. Quickly, yet she understood every word. She let herself relax and be sent to the moon, where she lived. She then found herself drowning in a sea of words and souls made out of paper. A city a town filled with paper people. Everything else was made of paper and words, but they had had one thing in common: they all had a soul. She could understand them perfectly. Their soul and her soul would always connect somehow, and it was the most amazing feeling in the world. She always felt like that once she reads.

She closed her eyes for a moment for they were straining.

"So, how was your first day?"

She opened her eyes and they immediately darted to the person in front of her, whom she thought had left a long time ago. But he didn't. Was he there the whole time? The moment she opened the book, had he been watching her already? How come she didn't notice, she didn't want to know. She did feel a little irritation right there. She never wanted anyone to bother her while she was reading, because in those moments, she doesn't exist. And she'll never want to. She wants to be trapped in her own little world. It was better than reality.

Her eyes went back to the page she was on. "It was… okay, I guess," she said. "A lot of things happened. But, it's all right."

"Like what?"

She held back a sigh. "Like… a lot."

"Yeah, I know. I need more information than that, though." He chuckled.

"Why are you even asking me this?" Emi asked, slightly holding the book tighter, but she hoped it didn't look obvious. All she wanted was to be left in peace, for her mind was about to explode. She couldn't handle it anymore—she sighed. She looked over at Hiro, who was looking at her expectantly with his small coquettish smile that made her insides cringe. Heartbreak and tears lie underneath smiles like those.

"Because I want to know," he clasped his finger and planted them underneath his chin, his hazel eyes staring intently at her that she had to stare back at him hardly. "And I have to catch up. I mean, I _did_ miss a lot, right?" he added, "speaking of which, how's Felicia?"

She put her book down. "She's… okay. We've been calling often. She's doing fine."

"Oh, well, okay," he nodded and shrugged. "So how's your class?"

"It's all right," she lightly shrugged. He's asking too many questions—trying too hard to keep the conversation going. "I'm classmates with Mia, if you haven't noticed… and I've made friends with a girl named Sylvette."

He blinked. "Yeah, Mia told me… you guys are having lunch together?" Emi nodded as he leaned back in his chair. "And some boys named… Log, Conner… and… I don't remember the other one's name. It's too… unusual."

"It's Lag, Connor, and Zazie," Emi corrected.

"Yeah," he laughed silently. "They're also having lunch with you guys too, right? They your classmates?"

Emi shrugged at him. "Only Zazie."

He sighed, nodded, and folded his arms across his chest, once again boring his eyes into her soul. "My class is too noisy for my own liking…" He said after a long pause, shutting his eyes for a moment. He heaved another sigh, as if he was proving how he dislikes his class. "But I actually remember having a kid named Lag in my class… really thought his name was Log, though."

This time, it was her turn to blink. "I thought you like noise. You told me before."

His face perked up. "Wow, you still remember! That's nice. Well, I just like talking and socializing, but I don't really like noise itself," he smiled. "I actually visited this library a few times since I came here. Very peaceful, huh?"

"Not a lot of people come here," she said, looking around.

"And that's why its peaceful. If a lot of people come here, then the silence would be gone. Then there'll be no place as peaceful as this in Yuusari Academy anymore. It wouldn't be the same," he said in such a calm voice that it made Emi relax even more. She never knew this side of Hiro. She always knew how noisy and cheeky he was. How he always had a group of people—especially girls—around him, and being Hiro, he would always be laughing and make people laugh. "It's like having something rare being discovered by others. It wouldn't be so rare anymore, because everybody knows about it."

"Why're you suddenly so poetic?"

He shrugged with a sloppy smile on his face. "Been reading,"

She nodded. Then she found herself in this comfortable silence between her and Hiro. And then she suddenly realized that she missed him. She missed him and Mia. She missed their memories together when they were toddlers. Kids. When they all had crazy imaginations. When they had all the time in the world to not care about anything else but their company and imagination. When they were like her long lost siblings. She stopped a goofy smile from forming.

"Don't you think it's wonderful when you see someone smiling but then they try to stop it? It always makes me wonder what they're thinking. But it always makes me happy to see them happy, you know?"

She snapped her eyes at him.

He was smiling.

She then stood up from her chair. "I think lunch is over." She said before she went to the shelf she got the book from. She knew Hiro was behind her. So when she finally found the right shelf, she simply handed Hiro the book and motioned her head to where it was before he took it. He smiled and gently took it from her. She thanked him and watched him put the book back with ease. They then walked towards the exit of the library together, with Emi walking slightly ahead of him.

She was silent as she pushed through the swarm of students outside the library, who were all getting back to their classrooms. She didn't mind if Hiro would be attached to another group of girls. It always happened even back then—when they were kids. Hiro was always the popular one out of the three of them. She was apparently the silent one. Mia was the noisy one. At first, she and Mia clashed together like fire and ice. Mia would _always_ throw her dirty looks, and sometimes she would directly tell her how quiet she was, and would say: "Maybe you really _are_ a robot! You never smile or cry or get mad or… or just feel! You don't even talk! Only when you need to! Only when someone is asking you to! _I don't get you_!"

She would always reply Mia with a simple blink or a stare, and Mia, meanwhile, would get more infuriated. That was how she takes revenge. She makes people even angrier at her until they get tired of getting angry at her. Like Mia.

To say that she was shocked was an understatement. She was more than that. She couldn't even find the words to explain how she felt when Mia suddenly came up to her one day to apologize and start over. She even prepared herself for another round of insults, when Mia suddenly bowed her head down low that her body followed. She blinked at her in shock, but she wasn't able to say something.

She was shuffling her feet on the ground, clearly ashamed or embarrassed. Then she apologized. Then she started crying as she apologized. Emi knew it was genuine—her apology. So she accepted it. And after, they were like paper and glue. Inseparable.

She stopped another smile from forming once again.

"Hey, you're doing it again! What's up with you smiling so suddenly?" Hiro asked her again, and when she looked at him, he was smiling at her excitedly. As if it was an achievement.

"I never noticed you were there," she told him instead, as she faced ahead of her again. They were nearing their classrooms.

She felt him grin. "Maybe it's because you were so busy smiling."

She didn't know what to say, so she stayed silent. She fought the urge to bring her hand up to her mouth and bite the thin layer of skin beside her nails, but she ended up peeling it off with her other hand. She threw him sideway glances from time to time, wondering why he kept on noticing her sudden discreet smiles. Maybe it was because she spent a lot of her time with him before and now that she was so comfortable with him. That she let her emotions leak out in front of him. She was never really one to smile for unknown reasons, only when she reminisces or when she finds something funny—which is very occasional to happen.

"You know, Emi," Hiro started, and she looked at him for a moment before turning to face the hallway again. "We're childhood friends. I know you. Mia knows you. And you know us. So it's actually okay to be yourself around us. You don't have to be so awkward and quiet and not you anymore when you're with us," he sighed lightly. "I know you haven't seen us for years, but it doesn't matter. When you know you're truly friends with someone, time never seems to stop when you're around them, y'know? You would never see them for years, but when you do see each other, it doesn't feel like you've even been separated." He paused for a moment, probably to let his words sink into her like Titanic sinking into the depths of the ocean.

"… I know we're back in square one, but I want you to know that nothing's changed. I'm still Hiro, and Mia's still Mia," he looked over at her the same time she looked at him. "So you can be yourself around us, okay? Like when we were kids. Okay?"

She nodded, but she felt like Hiro wanted her to talk. So she did. "Okay."

Hiro smiled. "Well, I gotta go,"

She gave him a small smile and wave, like when they were kids, and they would all part ways. "Bye,"

"That's it, now I'm seeing the real Emi," he chuckled and ruffled her hair, which was also one thing he used to do to her before. "Bye, Em!" he exclaimed before entering his classroom. She blinked at the closed sliding door and started to walk towards her own classroom. Two classrooms away.

Hiro had been one of the people she could lean on. His cousin was another. All of them went through thick and thin. They fought everything alongside each other—not that there were too many to fight. When one of them experiences something—like being able to learn how to ride a bike (which was Mia), having a butterfly rest on their nose (Emi), or even learning how to tie a shoelace on their own (Hiro)—he/she would always make sure that they're the first ones to know. It was their routine—their agreement. Their contract. And if one of them breaks it, they'll receive a very hilarious dare or punishment. So Emi always made sure that Hiro and Mia would be the first ones to know everything that had happened to her. Always.


	4. Where He Stands

**Voodoo Doll**

 **A/N:** SORRY FOR THE LONG ABSENCE, OHMYGOODNESS. Anyway, decided to drop off Chapter Four since I figured my stories here are starting to rot, haha. _Secrecy_ 's 15th chapter is done yet under construction still. I hope y'all are having a great day!

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee. Only her OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter Four – Where He Stands**

 _I bet she doesn't even know how to talk to boys,_ he thought, eyes drifting off.

* * *

"Stand," they all chanted as they rose from their seats. "Bow."

It has already been a month or two since their first week. And it has been a while since he was being dragged by Lag and Connor to the rooftop for lunch. And he hated it passionately. Whenever he thinks about lunch, he always had this urge to hit something or just punch two certain dorks like there's no tomorrow. Sometimes, he would simply just grip the edges of his chair just thinking about it, but a certain blonde would always get so curious and ask him what was wrong out of the blue, which would make him even more irritated.

He clenched his fists. The worst part about it was he didn't know why he would get even angrier when the blonde would pry with his thoughts. And now, thinking about it made him feel as if steam was coming off from his ears. He just didn't get everything.

A tap on his shoulder. He turned to the person who owned the hand and wasn't surprised to find Emi.

"Class is over, and everybody's out," she pointed out.

He tightened his fists again. "I know that…"

"Are you having lunch with us again?"

He huffed and turned his back against her. "… I don't know," he mumbled, but he made sure it was audible enough for her to hear. He slightly turned his head to glance at her. "You're not even joining them. You're in God-knows-where doing God-knows-what, right?"

"I've been spending my time in the library… reading," she corrected him, and he aggressively shrugged.

"Yeah, right,"

He mumbled under his breath until he saw Emi leave, and took it as a cue to leave as well. He shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled out the classroom, gaze immediately following Emi's retreating back. Her question resounded in his head, and thought about having lunch with Sylvette and the others or not. He sighed aloud, ruffling his hair as he came upon the conclusion that he will have lunch with them—he didn't have anything better to do, anyway.

For the past week, Lag and Connor—mainly Connor—had given up on dragging him towards the rooftop since it would take them everything just for him to go up with them (even if it resorts to both of them dragging him by the collar up the stairs, with him protesting furiously and beating them up halfheartedly). He was admittedly _really_ bad with girls. Even seeing them turns this invisible switch inside of him and makes him very awkward around those females. So eating lunch with the opposite gender is no help at all.

"But Zazie, you'll meet a lot of girls in the future!" Lag would always tell him, but it really wouldn't make an effect on him. Being raised without a mother and studying inside an all-boys school all his life, he never had a chance to feel or experience what it was like to be loved or be known by a girl. It was only when he transferred to Yuusari High that he encountered tons and tons of members of the opposite sex. And it wasn't really a good experience. He cringed at the sudden flashback and instantly decided to throw it into the depths of his mind.

He sighed once again as he was climbing up the stairs to the rooftop. He admits that the rooftop is a really good place to eat in since the cafeteria is noisy as hell. Plus, it has good wind and is very spacious. He didn't have to squeeze in between people and shout just to get someone's attention and simply face a lot of people. He hated crowds. He loathes them. They're noisy, rowdy, and just plain annoying.

Oh. Perhaps that was why Emi always spent her time in the library. Perhaps, for her, five people is a crowd. Perhaps they were too noisy for her—too boisterous. It made a lot of sense—

" _Kyah_!" a jarring voice exclaimed beside him along with the sound of books falling, creating loud thuds on the ground. "… Oh no,"

Zazie snapped his eyes toward the girl, who seemed to have a very troubled expression on her face, arms frozen midair. He cleared his throat, looking at her tousled auburn hair and stressed out lineaments. He crouched down and just as he started to pick the books up one by one, the girl rapidly bent down and helped him in collecting the fallen books. Once he was done in getting the rest of the books, he presented them to the girl nonchalantly and stood up after nodding at the girl's "thank you."

He started to walk up the stairs—

A tug on his uniform, and he had no choice but to look at the girl, who looked at him with her big brown eyes in apology. Deja vu struck him like lightning as his mind suddenly recalled a very familiar scene on the first day of school—only this girl had emotions on her face. He held in the scowl that was about to form. "What is it?" he decided to ask, since he noticed that they were actually staring at each other.

The girl blinked, apparently snapped out of her trance and averted her gaze away from him, blushing in the process. Usual response. Zazie watched her adjust the books across her chest as she let go of her hold on his uniform. "Sorry about that… Guess I wasn't watching my way." she said with a nervous giggle. She then looked at him once more and beamed.

Zazie nodded, slowly turning his back against the girl. "It's all right," he simply said and started to walk up the stairs—faster this time. He didn't have time to be tugged by that same girl once again. She must've been one of those creepy freshmen girls who keep on following him around (but on an irregular basis). He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair, deciding to pick up the pace by climbing up two steps at a time. He was almost there anyway.

"Yaaaay! Zazie's here!" Lag exclaimed the moment Zazie entered the rooftop—as expected of Lag. Zazie simply nodded in acknowledgement as he made his way toward the group, sitting down beside Connor, planting his hand on Connor's shoulder as he did so. He nodded his head at Mia and Sylvette, who waved at him cheerily.

"Is Emi in the library?" Mia inquired, to which Zazie replied with a bob of his head up and down. "With Hiro?" she asked yet again—who was Hiro?—but her tone was expectant that Hiro would definitely spend his time disturbing Emi as she reads in the library. Zazie pictured it, yet he shrugged.

"Why does he even bother Emi?" Sylvette innocently asked, chewing on her sandwich.

Mia rolled her eyes and scrunched up her nose as if dirty socks were all over the floor. "That's just the way he is. He's a rolling stone—never had one girl to hang out with," she sighed, seeming hopeless. "Luckily, Emi is as dense as a rock. She won't even get a hint that he's bothering her just so he'll toy with her later on." Mia said, and Zazie felt a tug in his chest and suddenly he had the urge to punch Hiro in the face.

"Why is Emi lucky?" Lag asked, acquitted as ever.

" _Because,_ " Sylvette started, "she's dense and—"

"What's dense?" Connor butted-in.

"Like… oblivious." Mia answered for Sylvette.

"Like, I-don't-know-what's-going-on oblivious?"

"That's basically what it means…"

"Oh."

"Sooo, why _is_ Emi lucky? Because she doesn't know what's going on?" Lag interrupted.

Sylvette let out an exasperated sigh. " _Yes_ ," she breathed out. " _So,_ if she doesn't know what Hiro is doing to her, then she'll always be safe. _And_ , if she keeps up that act, probably Hiro will give up on trying to get her attention."

" _Ooooh._ "

" _That_ , or Hiro will get more interested in her—which will always be a bad thing." Mia said, earning a nod from Sylvette.

Zazie decided to butt-in, inwardly all eyes and ears on the conversation. He was enjoying it, admittedly. "Why will it 'always' be a bad thing?" he asked, quoting his fingers in the air at the mention of 'always.'

" _Because_ ," Mia breathed out, slightly rolling her eyes. "My dumbass cousin always gets what he wants. Always. He's _that_ persistent."

"So," Lag began, "he's spoiled?"

"Kinda." Sylvette answered for him. "It just means—in romance—that no matter what, in any way or in any effort, he should have Emi. To be his. Only if he wouldn't get tired of how dense she is." She explained, sighing sadly. "It kinda sounds romantic in novels but I never knew that it would kinda be creepy as well."

"But what if Emi suddenly liked him back?" Connor piped in, gaining everyone's attention.

Mia mocked a laugh, rolling his eyes at Connor's statement. "Emi? Like a boy? It doesn't connect." She said, waving her hand at the words as if swatting away flies. "It's _so_ impossible, considering Emi's denseness and her zero percent knowledge on boys and flirting."

"Hey, it might happen!" Connor defended. "Wanna bet on it?"

She huffed jokingly, crossing her arms challengingly. "I don't _do_ bets, Con. It kinda wastes my time and money and words."

"Whatever, kill-joy," Connor replied. "Who sides with me?" he announced.

"Depends. What side are you on?" Sylvette questioned, the challenge in her voice audible.

"Emi will like Hiro back, in time."

"I'm on Mia's, then." She finalized, earning a 'hooray' from Mia, who tackled her as well. ("I thought you didn't do bets…" Connor mumbled, earning a glare from Mia, who obviously took back what she had said earlier.)

Connor pointed at Lag, who innocently looked at his finger, gulping down his iced tea. "Lag!" Connor exclaimed. "Join my side!"

Lag eagerly nodded. "Okay!" he exclaimed, although Zazie knew that Lag didn't know what was going on.

"Zazie, you're on my side, too!"

Zazie looked at Connor weirdly. "Why me?"

"You're the only one left."

He shrugged. "I don't want to join either sides." ("And I don't even know who this Hiro guy is…" he muttered.)

"Come on, Zazie! Boys versus girls!"

"This is childish…"

" _Pleeaassee!_ " Lag pleaded.

Giggles were heard from the two girls across them, and they all turned to Sylvette and Mia, who were eyeing Zazie teasingly. "You have your own side, don't you, Zazie?" Sylvette asked him, a devilish grin on her face.

He sniffed, rubbing his nose with his index finger. "What side?"

"You know…" Mia began, but her voice trailed off. She and Sylvette burst into giggles.

"What? What side is Zazie on?" Lag interfered.

"The 'Emi-is-gonna-like-me-and-not-Hiro' side of his!"

"Huh?" Zazie said, clearly dumbfounded.

He didn't really know what was in the brains of those two girls that made them think that. 'Emi-is-gonna-like-me-and-not-Hiro?' How shallow—he never even thought of that in the first place. But he admits, he kinda sides with the girls—but it was true, Emi was a human robot. She wouldn't know stuff about boys. _I bet she doesn't even know how to talk to boys,_ he thought, eyes drifting off.

If that was the case, then both of them had something in common.

x—x—x

Students crowded the campus as they were all dismissed. Girls were squealing and telling each other to go to _that_ café, because there's a hot guy working there, like, super duper _hot_! While boys were nudging and pushing each other, shouting at each that they should play Assassin's Creed III and fuck around. Zazie rolled his eyes at the noises around him, his ears picking up conversations wherever he goes. He sighed exasperatedly, eyes scanning for a nearby sink or water fountain where he can wash his face. This day was kind of hot for his liking. Add on the fact that he has soccer training—which meant more sweat and heat and the smell of sweat and heat. He groaned at the thought, pulling out the towel that hung on his nape and wiping it all over his face, feeling disgusted at how wet it was with sweat.

"God…" he muttered under his breath, walking briskly under the heat and through the sea of students.

His eyes lightened up at the sight of the lone sink by the lone tree which was by the old building he doesn't know of. He jogged up towards the sink, dodging through the students and reaching out towards the sink and turned the tap on. He hastily reached out his open palms towards the running water and splashed it all over his face. He sighed delightfully at how cold the water was, splashing some more on his face before turning the tap off. He shook his head roughly to get some droplets off his hair and reached out once again for his towel, walking away from the sink as he wiped his face—

And, once more this day, he bumped into somebody—and judging by the shriek, it was a girl. Again. He kept in the sigh and removed the towel from his face, squinting at the blurry image of a girl who was stumbling to keep her balance. _Whoa, how uncoordinated._ He held in a snort and rubbed his eyes, thinking of something polite—or almost polite—to say, but he instead came up with: "Sorry. Wasn't watching my way."

"A-ah, no it's—it's fine…" said the girl, and much to his annoyance, it was obvious that she squeezed her voice box just so her voice would sound like one of those typical protagonist anime girl's voice who was titled as the 'yandere' in this extremely girly shoujo anime or manga series but would still have every boy on her feet despite the fact that she has an 'incredibly adorable' voice. What was cute about _that_ voice? It was annoying.

Zazie rubbed his eyes still, sniffing. "Well, that's good." He monotonously said, putting his hand down from his eyes and blinking multiple times at the girl, who seemed to be staring at him shyly. He squinted his eyes once more and blinked multiple times, his vision clearing up some. "… Well"—he ran his middle finger and thumb through his eyelids and down his nose bridge—"aren't you planning on going home?" He blinked once more and scanned the girl who simply stood in front of him, a small smile on her face.

"I am," she said with a giggle. A really really _really_ high and allegedly cute-sounding giggle that would supposedly make a guy fall head-over-heels in love with her to the point that it would make said guy dramatically fall over and have this histrionic nosebleed. It made him cringe. She waved at him and started walking away. "See ya!"

He never bothered to wave back at the girl, who skipped blithely towards her group of friends as they giggled aloud. He looked at them with annoyance, rolling his eyes and walking over towards the field, wrapping the wet towel around the back of his neck. He heaved out a sigh once again, closing his eyes for a moment before opening them, scanning around the area. Students were still around but were filing out, by group or by twos.

Suddenly his eyes caught a glimpse of a familiar blonde head among the crowd, walking home with Mia and Sylvette. He absent-mindedly ceased walking, eyes following the three girls but his orbs were only focused on one. The moment the trio exited the campus, Zazie proceeded his journey towards the field, which was approximately a two-minute walk from where he was. Admittedly, he felt too damn lazy to run about the field and to even lift a foot. He just seemed so _drained._

He resisted another urge to sigh for the umpteenth time that day, and instead looked up at the sky which was now slowly being painted with different hues of blue, yellow, and orange, the clouds like orange and pink cotton candies across the heavens.

"Winters!" the familiar voice of his coach, Hazel Valentine, called from the field, "get your scrawny ass over here and do your warm-ups!"

At this, Zazie rolled his eyes and instantly began jogging towards the field. His teammates were apparently already starting their daily warm-ups—which were exercises to improve their balance and agility before they do laps around the field. He would admit—he _was_ scrawny, way before he decided to have soccer as his sport. Since then, he had gained some muscles here and there, and he actually grew. A lot. _And_ his stamina kept on increasing with every training he attended to.

He wasted no time as he got in the field and started doing his laps. Hazel yelled at him to stop jogging, run faster, and do 10 laps around the field. Zazie huffed and sped his jogging cadence, but trying not to turn it into running. He never wanted to repeat what he had called 'the incident.' His first asthma attack. He never really knew he had asthma—but it was most likely because of trying to push himself to his limits. Unfortunately, this earned no pity or soft spot for Hazel.

Zazie turned his head to look at his teammates and acquaintances, seeing how focused they all were, as if they were practicing for an upcoming game. They've already been participating in competitions and tournaments even before he came in. Long story short, the group is quite popular—since he enrolled the school just for the sake of being part of the Letter Bees. (Yes, that's the name of their soccer group. Quite weird, but it seemed tolerable.) He turned his head ahead of him, letting out a heavy breath, counting in his mind the number of laps he made: 5. He closed his eyes and let his legs do the work. He felt as if his body was flying but he knew his legs were on the ground. He huffed and opened his eyes. Laps were always tricky for him. He knew he still didn't have that much stamina on him yet.

"Come on, people! I've been standin' here for ages!" Hazel shouted, causing the whole team to pick up their paces.

"Jeez, all he's been doing is shouting at us… When will he do all the work? S'not like running's easy as shit…" Zazie glanced at the boy who said the relatable statement and found one of his seniors, a tired and annoyed look on his face.

"Don't say that… c'mon, he's yelling at us to discipline us. It'll pay off in the end," their team captain said.

The senior snorted. "Shyeah right, _captain_. You're saying that 'cause your coach's favorite."

As if Hazel had overheard their conversation, he shouted: "Takaki! Yoshimura! Quit babbling and run yer asses off!"

The captain snickered. "Coach's favorite? I don't think so."

Zazie then blocked his ears from all the noises and focused on finishing his laps: 2 left. He heaved and with each exhale, his speed would increase. And once his laps were done, he started to jog, then walk, catching his breath. He joined his other teammates who were heading to the grassy area of the field, grabbing their water bottles and gulping down the water.

"Aight! Bent knee crunches! Y'all know what to do!" Hazel announced, earning another round of groans and sighs.

He glanced at his coach, laid on the grass, and started doing what his teammates were begrudgingly doing—bent knee crunches. He put his legs perpendicular to the ground and bent his knees. He turned his head to look at his fellow colleagues and blinked at their struggle. He faced his head straight ahead once again and started to lift it along with his shoulders, wrapping his hands behind his neck and instantly feeling the pain forming in his abdominal area as he resisted to lose balance. He kept his eyes on the colorful sky and breathed steadily, feeling himself shaking.

After what seemed to be the longest 30 seconds of his life, Hazel finally let all of them to relax on the grass. They all collapsed on the ground with sighs and grumbles, complaining about how tired they all were, and that they wanted to go home, which earned them a nice scold from their coach.

Zazie remained lying on the grass, which was slowly turning into an orange hue due to the sky. He blinked at the pink-orange sky, watching a flock of birds pass by. He silently breathed in through his nose and out through his mouth, trying to even his heartbeat. He sighed and closed his eyes, letting the warmth of the surroundings and the coolness of the grass consume him, the noises made by his teammates and club mates slowly becoming muffled in his ears as he drowned himself in his own world.

"Strike two, Winters! No slacking off! Go go go!" Hazel shouted once again as he blew hard on his whistle, causing Zazie to snap his eyes open and sit up rapidly, wincing at the sudden movement that shocked his muscles. He stood up and started jogging to where his teammates were, who were busy snickering at him and giving him consoling pats on the back. He simply sighed heavily, giving his team mates small nods before jogging up to the middle of field, warming up some before readying himself for their daily practices.


	5. Astro Coffee

**Voodoo Doll**

 **A/N:** So it's 12:15 AM here and I decided to drop this off because it was kinda overdue, lol. (Writer's Block for Secrecy this time. Laughing at myself.) Hope you'll enjoy!

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee. Only her OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter Five – Astro Coffee**

 _He had changed, and she didn't know if it was for the better._

* * *

"Hello?"

It was a (very) late Friday night, and Emi was in the middle of doing her (exaggerating) stacks of homework. Her hand played with the mechanical pencil, twirling it around stoically, as her eyes scanned her neat and doodle-filled notes once again. She'd rather stay up late on a Friday night and do what she wants to on Saturday than laze around during the night and procrastinate on the weekends. This is merely child's-play.

" _Emi?_ " a very familiar voice questioned from the end of the line, and it made her heart fly fly fly way up towards the heavens.

She dropped her pencil and slid her chair across the floor, putting her free hand over her hand which was holding the wireless telephone. "… Mom?" she asked in a voice so quiet it made her wonder if she would say it again. She ran her hand through her hair, feeling her throat tighten and her chest ache gradually.

A breathy chuckle. " _Yes, it's me, dear_ ," she softly said, and even though she's miles away, Emi could hear the smile forming on the other side of the line. But her voice sounded so so so tired and ill. It broke her heart. She blinked multiple times, feeling her chest ache ache ache until she couldn't take it anymore. Her eyes started to water her vision was getting shadowy and her breathing was slowly getting shaky. She missed her she missed her she missed her so badly it made her heart sink and her tears flow and it made her realize how lonely she really was.

She put her fist over her forehead, lips curling into a strained frown due to her stopping her own tears. She closed her eyes tight, the tears being forced to roll down her cheeks. "… Hi, mom," she choked out, but she knew that her mother would find out in no time that she had been crying. "I miss you." she added, sniffling and wiping her tears away. A small smile formed on her lips.

" _I miss you, too_ ," she said from the other line, and it made Emi's heart stop racing and her storm of thoughts to stop and her shoulders to relax. It was okay. " _How're you? How's school? Did you make friends? Have you been eating well?_ "

She chuckled lightly. "Everything's okay," she explained, but suddenly she recalled something she needed to tell: "Ah, I met Hiro and Mia again. They're in the same school as me, and Mia's my classmate… and I've been spending time with Hiro."

" _So there's no need to worry, then,_ " a relieved sigh from the other line followed by a soft cough. " _It's fortunate for you to reunite with Hiro and Mia again. I'm sure they've grown up so beautiful and handsome._ "

She smiled softly. "What about you, mom?"

And after she asked that, she was sure she felt the tension coming from the other line. Her breath hitched at the sudden feeling and her heart started running laps around her thoughts which were swirling like a pirouette. She clutched on the phone tighter. "… Mom—"

" _Ah, sorry, dear… I spaced out for a minute_ ," she assured with a chuckle. But she knew something was off.

"Mom, is everything okay?"

" _Well… how do I put this…_ "

A pause with a million thoughts and feelings whirling in, forming a tornado.

" _… I-I got fired… from my work… just the other day._ "

She blinked and gasped sharply, feeling everything crash into pieces all at once. What made it worse was the sound of the heartbroken whimpers of her mother from the other side of the phone. She frowned. She felt so inadequate so insignificant that she couldn't be of help when her mother needs it but whenever she needs help, her mother always knows best. _Why must things be unfair?_ She gritted her teeth as tears once again streamed down her face. However, she wiped them away instantly as she thought about the only resolve she found feasible enough for her.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll help you find your way out of this," she said, a spark of determination in her voice.

" _It's okay, dear—_ "

"No, mom," she interrupted. "You've helped me a lot… and I want to help you now, too…" she said with a soft voice, and when her mother didn't speak, she took the opportunity to declare her way of helping her mother: "I'll get a part time job as soon as possible, to support us at least a little financially, so you wouldn't have to worry about me anymore… I want to help you."

" _But what if you get sick due to overworking yourself? What if you spend more time on your job than on your studies? If you say that I can't be worried about your resolve for the both of us, well then, you're wrong, dear…_ " her mother softly scolded her, coughing ever now and then. " _Because I'll surely worry about you and your well-being, even if you say otherwise. Because I am your mother… and, as a mother… it's always my priority to make sure you are doing well… because if you're not, then I'll feel a thousand times worse. Because I have just failed as a mother for not taking care of my own daughter._ "

Emi kept her lips from spreading the strained frown as more and more tears cascaded down her cheeks that it started to become a waterfall flowing down her face. "… But I want to help… I can do it, mom… I don't want to feel useless anymore…!"

" _Anymore…?_ "

She tried to calm her breathing and sobs, as they were getting hitched. But she just couldn't. "… Ever since dad died… all you did was work… and work and work… everyday, you would come home so tired up to the point when you wouldn't eat dinner with me… and all I did was watch and just study hard. I knew that would help you… but it just didn't seem enough…" she bit her lip. "So… let me help now that I'm bigger."

" _Oh, I'm so sorry, Emi…!_ " her mother softly exclaimed from the other line. And it was only now that Emi had realized how her mother had been these past few months. And how she looks today. Sitting all alone in the dining room or the living room. All the lights off except for the one in the room she's in. Crying her eyes out without showing its obviousness. And it broke her heart into trillions of pieces. " _But I can't let you do this on your own,"_

Emi blinked, and she felt hope rise up inside her. " _I'll let you get that job… but I'll take a boat to go there with my remaining money, and get a job for myself too. We'll help each other in this. Okay?_ "

Her heart warmed up as a smile began stretching on her lips, replacing the tears and the sadness which was once on her face. "Okay,"

" _I love you,_ "

"… I love you, too,"

" _Well, you should get you rest, then. I'm feeling tired, myself…_ "

She nodded to herself. "Good night, mom."

" _Good night, dear._ "

And the call has ended. And she felt so lonely void saddened all of a sudden. She sighed deeply as she slowly stood up and placed the phone back to its rightful place. She grabbed a nearby hair tie, scooping up her curly blonde hair and twisting it up carelessly into a messy bun, some short strands falling off to the side of her face as she tied her hair. She then took a bobby pin from her small container filled with hair accessories—which she hardly ever uses now—and clipped her bangs up to the top of her head, exposing her forehead which was glimmering with perspiration.

She then made a beeline for the bathroom, resting her hands on the edge of the sink, staring at the girl on the mirror. Her eyes were close to getting bloodshot, but they were already puffy and tired from all the crying she's done. Her hair was a bundle of a mess, and her shirt was covered in tear stains and sweat. She frowned, running her hand slowly over her right eye, down to her cheek, and stopping for a moment by her chin as she sighed through her nose. She imperturbably dropped her hand and waited for a moment before turning the tap on. She dipped her head in the sink and splashed some cold water on her warm face, sending shivers down her spine. It felt refreshing, considering she had just spilled a lot of emotions out.

She twisted the faucet closed as she raised her head up, eyes shut tight, while she blindly reached out for a nearby towel. After drying her face off, she looked at herself once again. _Well… it's better than before…_ she thought, noticing how the swelling has subsided even a little. She sighed heavily through her nose as she stopped herself from grabbing her toothbrush, an absently shocked look plastered on her face. _Ah… I already did that…_ She shook her head to herself, removing her hair tie nonchalantly, her hair falling off in golden curls. She kept her bangs clipped, as she exited her bathroom after turning the lights off.

Walking towards her study desk, she contemplated on whether or not to finish her homework. She blinked at the Japanese history book she had left open, and the notebook half-filled with the notes she needed to complete as her assignment. She animatedly frowned. _Eh… what's the use of having a book when you're going to jot down the same things on the notebook?_ She asked herself, slouching even more as she thought about the notes she needed to finish. _But this is the only homework I have left… I can't just procrastinate it… it's bad to leave things half-baked._

"… What time is it, anyway…?" she had asked herself, turning her head to her wall clock, the fingers pointing to twelve o' six in the morning. She reverted her gaze back to her notebook and book, planting her hand over the corner of the page and flipping it over, scanning the words. "Ah… looks like I only have this page left. I should just finish it." She thought aloud, sitting back down on her swivel chair before grabbing her pencil. A yawn escaped her lips as soon as she started writing, her vision slightly blurring as she scribbled down the needed keywords and terminology.

"Hm…" she hummed, releasing a sigh from her nose as she did so.

She had to admit, she was feeling quite somnolent, what with all the homework she had just finished and the crying she had done—all in one night. It was a lot for her to handle. However, much more people have gone through worse than her situation at present. She has no right to complain about what she's undergoing. She sighed once again, shaking her head some as if to tell herself to focus on the job in front of her.

She finally turned the page, a sense of triumph overcoming her being. _Almost there…_ she had thought, when suddenly her eyes came in contact with the telephone she had just used prior. She stopped writing for a moment, heedless of the soreness of her palm and fingers due to her fast writing. She then blinked, resuming on jotting down her notes.

 _Where is a good place for my job?_ She inwardly asked herself. She then huffed, an animated annoyed face etched on her lineaments. _Certainly it's not that nearby convenience store…_ she thought, vexed and downcast at the same time, as she thought about her encounter with the perverted cashier. Not only that, but if she works there, then she might see Zazie there. She started to feel warm in embarrassment as the image of Zazie spotting her by the cashier flashed in her mind. It worsened at the thought of him stifling a laugh as she meagerly sulked by the cash register.

 _That's the last thing I want to experience._ She mentally deadpanned, crossing off the convenience store in her mind. She pouted for a moment, thinking thoroughly about her new job. _What job can I take first?_ She thought, realization dawning upon her just as she finished her notes. She closed her notebook and book, and stacked them neatly in a corner.

She then folded her arms and laid her head over it, staring at the plain white wall ahead of her. _Since I'll be working on weekdays, and school doesn't end until around four thirty… The most practical job I can take is as a cashier… or an employee in a store… or maybe a waitress in a small restaurant or café,_ her eyes lit up a tad at the thought, before sulking even more. _But is there a nearby café here?_ She huffed at the realization, an animated smoke coming out of her nose. _That's on my To-Do list for tomorrow, then._

At that same moment, she ripped a Post-It from its small and square container, and grabbed a random pen from her pencil holder. After scribbling down the words: _Look for suitable place to work at,_ she strode towards her bathroom and taped it on her mirror, confident that she won't forget her agenda for tomorrow. After which, she walked towards the light switch and turned it off, heading towards her beloved bed right after.

Scrambling up her mattress, she closed her eyes in satisfaction as she sighed softly through her nose, humming in delight. _Finally, I can go to sleep~_ she mused to herself, collapsing on the soft pillows before pulling her fuzzy blanket over her abdomen. She moaned at the feeling of her muscles relaxing slowly, opening her lips slightly. And not long after, she lost touch with her consciousness, trapped inside a world she would always want to live in.

* * *

Strolling down the street aimlessly, Emi's eyes scanned the rows of shops in search for a café that still accepted employees, her head slightly tilted down in case she happened to bump into classmates. (Which she would dread at the moment.) Her golden hair was tied into a low ponytail, which was inserted through the hole at the back of the cap. Seeing no relevant sign or flyers on the passing cafes and restaurants, she dipped her head down lower, causing some golden strands to fall down her ear and to her face.

She had been walking under the sun for quite some time now, and seeing that she still hadn't found at least two stores to discuss about her part-time job with, she started to lose a glimmer of hope and feel tired. She then sighed at the sudden loss of determination and decided to take a small break under the shade of a nearby tree. She sighed yet again as she leaned on the trunk of the tree, eyes once again scanning the shops ahead of her, searching for the 'Wanted' or 'Accepting Employees' signs of some sort.

 _Hm… this is around ten minutes away from my apartment…_ she thought, calculating mentally. _But this is more practical than making it closer to the school, which is a station away from here… And if ever there are emergencies, I'd have to ride a train and cause much more trouble, especially if I get mugged in the train or something…_ she comically sweat-dropped at the thought. _I'm easily mugged, after all._ She thought sadly, frowning. She then pushed herself to stand up straight. _Alright, better find that café sooner or la_ —

"Ah, hey!"

Her eyes comically turned into the size of plates as dread covered her very being. She exhaled as she tilted her head slightly upwards, peeking under her cap, and saw a couple pointing over at one of the restaurants. "That's your favorite place, right? I never knew it was here!" the girl happily exclaimed, just as Emi sighed heavily in relief, planting her hand over her chest as if to calm her rapidly beating heart.

She slightly shook her head and started to walk to the direction she was initially going to, head ducked as if she was deeply fascinated by the ground she was walking on. _For a moment there, I thought she was Sylvette…_ she thought, imagining Sylvette instead of the girl earlier. Trepidation spread through her veins and blood. _Just pretend that you're somewhere else… You won't meet them today you won't meet them today you won't meet them today you won't—_

"Ah?"

She blinked as she recognized that horribly familiar voice. No no no no no. She just didn't bump into a schoolmate today. No, she didn't. It was a coincidence that his voice was terribly familiar. Yes, it was a coincidence. It was a—

She suddenly saw recognizable brown eyes in front of her own gray ones, and her world is currently spinning abnormally. He bent down just to take a peek at her face. Hands were in his pockets coolly, as if he knew this was coming. But she didn't. She was sweating so badly she started to feel disgusted about herself, but to take her thoughts away from it, she started to fidget with her fingers nervously, making it clear that she was avoiding his eyes.

"… Emi? Is that really you?" he had asked, the excitement clearly in his voice.

She took this as a cue to leave, so she did: she turned her back rapidly after bowing down low, mentally telling him, _I'm sorry but I'll just act as if I'm not your schoolmate. So, bye_. But just before she could really walk to the opposite direction, a hand held her wrist. Tight. So tight that she staggered backward for a bit. She blushed some in embarrassment, but she didn't dare turn her head to look at him.

"Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, pulling her closer to him. Yet she still avoided his eyes. "What brings you here?"

She slightly turned her head to look at his happy and grinning face, before drifting off her stare to somewhere else, sighing quietly through her nose. She then started to feel herself sweating comically once again, trembling. _I can't possibly tell him that I'm looking for a job…_ she glanced at him, who was looking questionably at her. _But he's… a childhood friend… and he knows mom, but…_ she blushed furiously. _It's just too embarrassing…_

"… Are you okay, Emi?" he asked, tugging slightly on her wrist, forcing her to look at him.

"Ah… I was just…" she turned towards him, "going home from… shopping…"

He tilted his head. "Then… where are your bags?"

She froze, eyes blank yet in shock, as the atmosphere around them slowly became rigid.

"And from what I remember… you don't like shopping."

She fiddled with her fingers. _That's… somehow true…_ she thought, facepalming mentally at her obvious lie. She was never really good at making lies, even white lies. She would always sweat or fidget or even stammer when she starts to lie, so people would always find out. (Sometimes, they even abuse the fact that she's bad at lying.) But it was either that, or she lies unconsciously.

"Come on, Emi," he said in an amused manner, causing her to look up at him. "I know you and how you suck at lying. So, there's no escaping from it. I mean, I'm Hiro, your childhood friend. Haven't I told you? Just be yourself around me." He gestured at himself as he said this in a matter-of-factly tone, smiling fondly at her.

After he said that, something insider of her had just softened involuntarily and she, herself, was knocked for six about it. Suddenly, her throat clenched and her vision became blurry but she didn't allow herself to cry out in the open. She dipped her head down down down and blinked her tears away, fighting the urge to rub her eyes since she knew Hiro would find out that she was crying, with his sharp intuition.

But she was shocked herself as she found her hand tugging softly on his shirt, much to his astonishment. She blinked up at him and in an instant, she took her hand back in a fraction of a second and turned her head to avoid his amazed stare.

"Let's go somewhere else…" she muttered, inwardly hoping that he had heard her.

From her peripheral view, Hiro strolled towards her (was that a smile on his face? She couldn't tell) and planted his arm over her shoulders, his hand gripping her firmly yet gently as she was slightly being pulled towards him. She blinked at the sudden contact, but she didn't raise her guard since Hiro had done this to her when they were merely in middle school.

"I know this café nearby," he said as he started dragging Emi towards the café. She looked up at him and at the same time, he gazed down upon her, their eyes meeting. A blush adorned Hiro's cheeks as he smiled at her. "I think you'll like it there." With that said, Emi already knew that, yes, she _was_ going to like it there—love it, even. Hiro always had a keen sense of observation, so she was shocked when suddenly, one day, he had asked her: "Emi, you like pastries, don't you?" Fortunately, he was a lover of confectionaries as well, so whenever one craved for some sweets, the other would accompany him/her. (Mia had even called them 'The Sweets Siblings' teasingly.)

"Ah, so what was it that you wanted to talk about?"

She blinked and snapped her head towards him. When she found him looking straight forward, she bent her head down and stared ahead of her as well. "Do I really have to tell you?" she asked in a hushed voice, eyes darting to the ground, crestfallen. _But you know how persistent Hiro is, Emi. He'll force you to tell him, even if it's just the reason why you were strolling down the streets,_ she thought, a silent sigh escaping her lips.

"Well, we _are_ childhood friends," he told her, and she noticed how his voice seemed like he was affronted. _Who wouldn't be offended by what I had just said?_ She thought, suddenly feeling guilt coursing through her veins. "And if you lied to me about it, then I just guessed that maybe it was important, or something. I mean, I know how terribly honest you are," he looked at her dotingly as he said this, and strangely, Emi's heart suddenly burst into a sprint as roses festooned her cheeks. She averted her gaze. _What in the world…?_

"But if you don't want to tell me, then I won't force you into it. It might be personal, for all I know." He said with a shrug, a comical laidback look on his face.

She nodded at this, her eyes accidentally gazing over at his hand, which was over her shoulder. She sighed lightly as she averted her eyes to the ground once again. He had changed, and she didn't know if it was for the better. Of course, it was for the better. She had to admit, she disliked how stubborn he was back then. But if she reacted to this change… didn't that mean that his stubbornness had already been implanted on her? Didn't that mean that she got used to it? Didn't that mean that she… may have liked it?

"Ah, this is the one," Hiro said in realization as he pointed to their left.

She then turned her head to where Hiro was pointing and found an aesthetically quaint and passé café at the end of the block. The café strangely had a welcoming aura surrounding it. Dark chocolate bricks served as its walls, making the white-framed glass doors and windows a great contrast. Above it all, was a sign printed: Astro Coffee in a Times New Roman kind of font ***** , the fading letters making it look antique. Looking at it from afar, Emi knew she would instantly fall in love with it.

Before she knew it, Hiro was already dragging her towards the door, but she let him. He opened the door for her, and as it opened, it created a tingling sound—which apparently came from a bell—which she found really endearing. The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the air, and in an instant, she was calm. She took her time in scanning the room, and it didn't fail to amaze her. The walls were basically made out of chalkboard material, judging by how the menu was written right above the glass display filled with food and pastry, and the white blemishes behind the writings. Artistic doodles, which were mainly consisted of stars and planets, were just beside the counter—drawn using colored chalks—and the window, allowing the sunlight to create more effect on it.

"Beautiful, right?" Hiro asked beside her, a look of partiality on his face, as his chestnut eyes roamed the café.

She nodded, eyes never leaving the doodle on the wall, as she followed Hiro, who was walking towards the counter. Her eyes then traveled to the glass display, showing different cakes, tarts, breads, cookies and even Japanese desserts and sweets. Right on top of the display were glass containers filled with more cookies and brownies, and in between the containers was a small clay pot and in it was a cacti which was just as small. It brought a small smile to her lips.

"So, what would you like?"

After he asked that, two things popped into her mind: "Iced coffee, and a New York Style cheesecake."

Hiro chuckled. "You're really sure of what you like, huh?" he said, before facing the cashier with a bright smile on his face. (And she swore she saw the cashier blush.) "Well, one iced coffee, one cinnamon tea, a slice of your New York Style cheesecake, and two custard-filled Taiyakis, please…"—he glanced at her nametag—"Sunny." He grinned.

"Oh… our cheesecakes are served as tart-shaped cheesecakes…" she said in a meek voice, her blush intensifying as she spoke.

Hiro turned to Emi with a questioning look on his face, and she responded with a nod of her head. So he returned his gaze to the cashier. "It's cool," He grinned. He then pulled out his wallet and eyed Emi. "This one's on me, okay?" he said as he handed the girl his money, which was already calculated as he spoke.

"Thank you," Emi quietly said, earning a grin from Hiro.

After the cashier had handed Hiro his change—while blushing furiously—she told them: "Since your Taiyaki will still be cooked, y-you can… look for your seats, a-and I'll serve them to you…"

"Alright, thanks, Sunny!" Hiro exclaimed, giving the girl a toothy grin once again before grabbing Emi's wrists and dragging her to a spot near the window, making sure that they can be seen by the cashier.

Once they've taken their seats, Emi gently removed her cap from her head, although her ponytail got loosened and ruffled. She placed the cap on her lap, and after, she reached for her hair tie and slid it down her long and curly locks, while her other hand held the spot where her hair tie used to be, securing it. After flipping the tie and undoing the knots, she bit on the hair tie and fixed her pony tail once again, her hands collecting the strands that have fallen over her face and putting it back neatly with her bundle of hair. She then took her hair tie out of her lips and tied her hair once again, some baby hair falling off and landing in front of her ear and framing the side of her face.

Just as she put her arms down, sighing in exhaustion, her eyes landed on Hiro's. And he was eyeing her the whole time. Hands clasped and planted under his chin. A smile on his face. All of this caused her heart to once again break into a race. Her face was beginning to warm up. She averted her gaze and turned her attention to the scenery outside. _… Why am I… feeling like this?_ She asked herself, befuddled.

"I'm kinda interested in you,"

She snapped her head towards him, a blank look on her face. The race her heart was running in suddenly vanished and the warmth on her face became nonexistent in an instant. "Huh?" Was the first thing that popped in her thoughts, in which she said aloud for the two of them to hear. "What do you mean?" she added, slightly tilting her head to the side.

In all honesty, she really didn't know what he had meant by that. Maybe it really means what it means, but did that even make sense? She furrowed her eyebrows. He was interested in her. What did he mean by that? She really couldn't find anything that would give her a tip-off as to what he meant. Plus, he said it so precipitously. Perhaps he was joking. Maybe it was that.

He chuckled. "Nothing, never mind," he said dismissively, waving his hand in the air. "So, is something bothering you?"

"… What makes you ask that?"

"Like I said, you lied earlier. Something must be up. And stop trying to dodge me, Emi. You know how persistent I am."

She looked at him for a moment before closing her eyes and heaving a sigh. The kind of sigh that indicated that yes, she really was having a dilemma, and that there was a heavy weight on both of her shoulders at the moment.

"Well, to start off… mom called last night," she breathed out, marginally glad that she was able to let it out. When Hiro didn't talk, she took it as a cue to go on. "And to cut things straight, she got fired from her job. I don't know why. So, at the same time, I told her that I would help her since we only have each other as a family, as you know," she explained. She then folded her arms and laid her head on it, facing the window outside. "The only help I could really think of as something really helpful was by having a… part-time job. Which is why I'm out here,"—she turned her head so that it was inside her folded arms. She knew she was about to cry again—"and right now, I'm having a hard time…"

Surprisingly, no tears came out of her eyes. But after she said that, the weight was back on her shoulders and she felt herself plunging down down down into the ocean of her emotions. She closed her eyes and heaved a long sigh.

"Here it is," a feminine and rather cheerful voice said.

"Ah, yes, thank you," Hiro paused for a moment. "Yeah, just lay it down there." Another pause. "Sunny… Do you study at Yuusari High, per chance?"

"Yes, I do. How did you know?" the girl had asked, the surprise notable in her voice. The sound of the saucers and glasses being put down on the table filled Emi's ears.

"Well, you seemed really familiar, and we both study there. And I'll take the opportunity to introduce myself, and the girl who has her head tucked in her arms. I'm Hiro, and she's Emi. We're childhood friends! By the way, which class are you in?"

"Oh… I'm in 3-C."

"Oh! You're in the same level as us!"

"Really? I'll be looking forward to seeing you then! It's a shame I didn't meet you earlier… it's already been a month," a pause, "anyway, nice to meet you. Is there anything else you'd like?"

"Now that you mention it…" Emi ears perked up, feeling Hiro's eyes on her. "Are you still accepting new employees?" he asked, and Emi, shocked, bolted her head up, blinking multiple times at Hiro's question. He gestured towards her. "You see, my friend, here, is looking for a new job. She badly needs it." he said, smiling towards her, causing roses to bloom on her cheeks in mortification.

"Ah… we're actually in need of chefs… pastry chefs, to be more exact," she stated. "Or cashiers—"

"She likes to bake! You bake a lot, right, Emi?" Hiro suddenly exclaimed, surprising the girl and Emi, herself, as he slightly stood up from his chair and pointed at Emi.

She nodded. "I… like to bake…" she mumbled, rather embarrassed at Hiro's sudden outburst.

She glanced at the girl and blinked at the sight of her glimmering eyes. (And she swore she saw sparkles around her.) "That's great, then! I'll refer Ms. Kiyomizu about you. She'll be very happy about this!" she exclaimed, mumbling some words between "Mina" and "lazy" afterward. She then cleared her throat and looked back at Emi. "Is it okay if I ask for your phone number?"

"I don't own a phone," Emi ingenuously and flatly said, earning a shocked expression from the girl, and a sweat drop afterward. "I could give you my telephone number, if it's okay." She suggested instead, to which the girl nodded. She presented her hand. "Do you have a pen and a sheet of paper?" She asked, receiving one right away. She then wasted no time in scribbling down her telephone number, and afterward, she handed it to the girl, who scanned it, and beamed at her. (She was no longer shy.)

"Thank you! We'll call you when we have news!" she exclaimed, turning her back and leaving the two. "Nice to meet you again! Please take care of me!"

Her eyes followed the retreating back of the girl, and somehow, right after all that, she felt a huge weight life off her shoulders. She sighed lightly through her nose, closing her eyes for a moment before opening them again, shifting her gaze to Hiro, who was eyeing her caringly, with a small smile on his face. She immediately avoided his stare—the room was getting warm—and grabbed her saucer and glass, taking a small sip of her iced coffee.

It was delectable. It was probably one of the tastiest and richest iced coffee she's ever had. It took her to the stars to the galaxies to the planets. Something clicked inside of her: maybe this was the reason why the café was called _Astro Coffee_. She smiled slightly, taking another sip of her iced coffee, savoring its rich palate.

And as she was sipping on her drink, another thought popped up in her mind: and it was the person in front of her. She looked at him from under her eyelashes, watching him eat his Taiyaki with so much gusto. And she thought: if she didn't bump into him today, she might still be roaming around these streets, hopeless, tired, and frustrated. And if he didn't force her to tell him what was bothering her, then he wouldn't have requested the girl for a job. Her heart warmed at this.

"Hiro," she called.

He took a bite from his Taiyaki and looked at her, mouth still full of his snack, and his lips were smeared with custard. He looked like a child. He blinked at her curiously, humming a loud 'hm?' as if to signal her to speak.

She smiled at him. "Thank you."

* * *

 **A/N:** Remember that Emi is slowly adjusting to Hiro's stubbornness and to the fact that they were childhood friends. That's why she's able to slowly open up to him as well. Hope you liked it!


	6. Of Wandering and Girls

**Voodoo Doll**

 **A/N:** Sorry for the long absence! My old laptop broke and ALL of my Voodoo Doll files were there! (I was on Chapter 10 cot dammit) So I'm kinda starting over again, but due to the HUGE loss, I kinda lost my motivation to write about this, lol. But I'll be up and about in a couple of weeks or months!

 **WARNING:** This chapter might contain curses.

 **DISCLAIMER:** _Kleia does not own Letter Bee_ — _only her OCs._

* * *

 **Chapter Six – Of Wandering and Girls**

 _Just who is she to walk around and hug him and introduce herself_ then _tell him he sucks at soccer?_

* * *

The cool and fresh spring air blew its clement breath from all around, rustling through the network of the thin branches and leaves of the trees and cherry blossoms, taking with it the petals from the nearby cherry blossom trees. It was an ideal day for picnics or sightseeing or just doing anything rather than studying in school. Or even eating lunch with your so-called friends at the rooftop of the school.

Why was he here again?

Oh. That's right. Said so-called friends namely Lag and Connor peculiarly forced him to join them and their girly little picnic setup up the rooftop, albeit the fact that Lag—who was now acting as the father that wants his son to be more friendly around girls so he would get a girlfriend soon because, according to said 'father', life with no girl friend is no life at all—had given him the freedom to choose whether or not he'll come up the rooftop to join them for lunch. (Which was why he'd been spending most of his days—keyword: _most_ —eating alone at the back of the school, where nobody would see him. He could never be stripped off his man-pride even if it's just because he was eating alone. With no friends whatsoever. Although, he had to admit, it _was_ kinda lonely when Lag and Connor weren't around. But of course, he'd never tell them that.)

He knew something was getting fishy when Lag and Connor desperately begged and forced him—respectively—to come join them for lunch, even for just this day for the whole week. He couldn't even tell if he saw excitement, desperation—which was quite obvious—exasperation, or whatnot in their eyes, because they were so mixed up, like a well-blended milkshake. But he simply knew, that the moment he finally said 'yes' to their hundreds of 'pleases', it was something that he shouldn't have signed up for. Even if it meant facing Lag's ridiculously teary-eyed puppy dog eyes—which would always make him give in and agree to whatever nonsense their planning (but it's just because he doesn't want to see Lag like that anymore).

And unsurprisingly, he was right.

He entered the rooftop, being towed in by Lag and Connor, and saw 2 new faces: a girl who preposterously and strangely looked like a Matryoshka doll, with ginger hair and—maybe—green eyes, and a boy with honey brown hair and this irritatingly smug yet blank look on his face, which weirdly made some blood boil inside Zazie. Maybe it was his eyes, which were slightly narrowed into slits as it came in contact with Zazie's own pair of orbs. Maybe it was how he sat, legs crossed and arms folded. Or maybe it was how he sat very close to Emi, as if 'space' wasn't in his vocab—

What did he just think about? Was he really elaborating all those details up to the point that he'll take note of how he sat beside a poker faced girl who never seemed or even learned how to smile? He must be out of his mind.

Matryoshka girl was actually named Sunny—which oddly fitted her looks—and Smug Honey Brown was Hiro.

Oh, so _he_ was Hiro. (But Smug Honey Brown sounded better.) He was the Hiro that spent all his time in the library with Emi. He was the Hiro Mia and Sylvette talked about. He was the Hiro whom they had bet a bet on. He was that Hiro.

"So, guys, any plans for the incoming summer break?" Mia had asked the unusually silent and awkward group, with only Lag, Sylvette, and Sunny talking in the background the whole time, as they all ate Sunny's cookies, which served as her 'thank you for the warm welcome' treat. (And damn, it was hella delicious. One of the best.) Zazie noticed that as she said that, she glanced at him. It was probably because he really _did_ look like he was bored out of his wits.

"Eh, nothing much," Connor had answered, shrugging lightly. "What about you?"

Mia also shrugged. "I'm just planning on watching this fireworks festival or something. It's just around, like, say, 10 minutes from here?"

"Ooh, sounds fun!" Sylvette joined in, clasping her fingers together dreamily. "We're gonna be wearing yukatas and have our makeover and eat takoyakis and yakisoba… Oh! And maybe even play Yoyo Sukui and buy masks! Oh, I'm just looking forward to it! Mia, I'm coming with! Emi, you should join too, and you guys can come over at my place to have your makeup done by yours truly!" she exclaimed, turning to Mia then to Emi, grabbing both of their hands as she mentioned them and squeezing them tightly in excitement. "Sunny, do you wanna come?"

Sunny flashed them an apologetic smile. "Sorry, maybe next time. I'm going on a vacation with my family."

"Aw, bummer," Sylvette frowned, but within 0.5 seconds, her grin returned. "Next time, okay?" She then turned to Emi. "What about you? Are you coming?"

Emi simply shrugged. "I guess…"

"If Emi's coming, I'm coming—"

"No, Hiro! No boys allowed!" Mia and Sylvette exclaimed in unison, cutting Hiro off impolitely, causing him to withdraw his raised hand and comically sulk.

Zazie blinked when Mia's eyes met his. "Zazie, you should come too okay?" she said, with a sickeningly sweet grin on her face. It made shivers run up and down his spine. ("Hey how come you asked _him_?" Hiro exclaimed in the background.)

"Ha? But you just said that boys weren't allowed," he stated, furrowing one brow as he frowned at them. "And I have soccer trainings. We might compete against those damned Pigeons. I can't afford to lose." ("Don't ignore me!" Hiro once again exclaimed, but to no avail.)

"Booooooo," Sylvette chanted, presenting him her thumb which was raised upside down as she stuck her tongue out at him. She then turned to Lag and Connor. "You guys should come too, okay? We'll just message each other." ("But what about me?" he asked once again, a pleading look on his face.)

"Yeah, sounds fun!" Lag cheerily exclaimed.

Connor grinned, drool coming out of his lips. "I can't wait to buy me some Takoyaki, and maybe some iced tea. But I'll definitely try some Okonomiyaki or Barakamon or grilled squid… ah, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it."

"All right! It's settled then," Mia pumped her fists in the air. "All of us—except Zazie and Sunny and Hiro—are going to watch that fireworks show! I'm so excited!"

Hiro planted both of his hands on the floor in front of him. " _What_? How come I can't join? You didn't even let me have a say in this!"

"Because you're such a drag." Mia deadpanned.

"Oooooooh," Sylvette chanted in the background, giving Hiro a teasing look.

He folded his arms across his chest and turned his head away. "Well, whether you like it or not, I'm still coming with! And none of you,"—he pointed to each one of them—"are going to make me go away."

Mia looked at him blankly. She shrugged. "Whatever."

As if on cue, the school bell had rung, signaling the end of their lunch time. Zazie, who had zero interest in their conversation, instantly stood up and nodded at some of them, and waved at Lag and Connor. He headed straight for the door, opening it and exiting before closing it. The moment he shut the door, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and sighed, heading down the stairs and wasted no time in going to his classroom.

x—x—x

"What better and more appropriate way to start off your semester—even though its already been quite some time since your first day—than by acquiring more knowledge about your hometown or homecity or whatever you call it?" Moans and exasperated sighs filled the room. But their Japanese History teacher, Caribs Garrard, acted as if he heard nothing and kept a straight face. His hand held a rather thick book as he stared blankly at the class. "About 20% of Japan's National Treasures and 14% of Important Cultural Properties exist in the city proper. The UNESCO World Heritage Site Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto—Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities—includes 17 locations in Kyoto, Uji in Kyoto Prefecture, and Otsu in Shiga Prefecture. The site was designated as World Heritage in 1994…" *****

The words just suddenly started fading by then. Zazie never really liked Japanese History—or History in general. He _sucks_ at it. Plus, the memorization of the places and dates and names drive him crazy. Along with the sequence of the events, such as the bombing in Nagasaki or something, which was after an event that was something else he couldn't remember at all. He sighed, cupping his cheek on his hand as he simply stared at Mr. Garrard, but not listening at all.

He glanced at Emi unconsciously, and was quite shocked to see her jotting down—hella fast—the important words their teacher was saying. He returned his gaze to his teacher. He wasn't surprised that Emi was a diligent student—she looked like one anyway—but to see her writing down dictations (which weren't even instructed for them to do) and being extremely focused and just studious was… kind of intimidating. She looked like an academic beast. And he didn't know if he was going to feel happy or inferior that he had a seatmate like her.

"Yes, Mr. Itabashi?"

Zazie blinked and turned his head to his classmate, who was slowly standing up from his seat. "I suggest a field trip,"

What?

"This year will be our last year in high school, and maybe most of us will go to the U.S. or to other cities or just basically, maybe most of us will be leaving. We need to see the wondrous sites of Kyoto while we still can. Besides, we'll all die one day and we'll probably regret not having to see our city's tourist spots and all that. Most of you might think, 'I've already gone to this and that,' but maybe there's still more to it than that. I mean, come on, Kyoto is known as the thousand-year capital. And did we really take in why _and_ how it's called that? No, because you really need to be there to appreciate and bask in its beauty."

Mr. Garrard simply stands motionless, staring at his classmate until he said, "Thank you, Mr. Itabashi," and eyed the class. "Yuji is correct that some of you will leave here at the end of this school year to go somewhere else. But before you do, you should see our city, at least. You should explore.

"So, your project for this class is to report on at least two—preferably three or more, even—wonders of Kyoto," he says as he writes on the chalkboard what he had just said. "Feel free to choose whichever place you want, no matter how weird or far away it is. Wander all you want, while you still can," he added, "your mission is to go there and see each one, take pictures, shoot videos, dig deep into their history, and tell me what it is about those places that makes you proud to be a citizen of Kyoto. If it's possible to link them in some way; the better. You have the rest of the semester to complete the project, and you need to take it seriously. You will work in teams of two—"

"Can we choose our partners?"

He shook his head, still writing on the board. "I'm going to say no," he faced the class. "On my stand, I think it's about time that all of you should suck it up and work with someone you're not familiar with or you dislike. For once, you should step out of that comfort zone of sticking with someone you know. It's time you bond with another different person. You will need it in the future."

"So who will be our partners?" The same voice asked.

He gestured to the two students sitting beside each other up front. "Your seatmate, of course."

 _What?_

Moans and squeals were heard throughout the class, as it gradually became noisier. He didn't dare look at the girl beside him. Mr. Garrard had a point, of course, but he didn't have to act as if there was no other choice left! He could suggest draw lots, or something else besides having your goddamn seatmate as your partner!

He slightly shook his head as an attempt to calm himself down.

"This will count for thirty-five percent of your final grade."

Right after that, he proceeded with his discussion when he arrived in class, in which Zazie had zero interest in. Mr. Garrad's voice just keep fading and fading and fading and his vision—which was previously focused on him—kept getting blurrier and blurrier and blurrier until he found himself in another place. It was as if his soul flew away from his body which was living in the present, in the now.

x—x—x

By the time school had ended, Zazie rushed towards their school's locker rooms, already clad in his soccer uniform, a face towel hanging around his neck. All that was left to do was to change his shoes and to put his bag in the locker. Despite it was many minutes after dismissal, there were still plenty students in the lockers, changing into their leather shoes and simply chattering away as they wait for their friends.

He sighed as he placed his things in his locker, shutting it closed and turning to his left to head for the field—

"Whoa," he exclaimed in surprise, stopping himself from colliding into Emi, who was suddenly right there. Beside him. Making no sound whatsoever. It was weird. He blinked at her, and she at him. He composed himself and planted a hand behind his neck. "… What brings you here?" he asked, eyes roaming and landing on Sunny. He blinked at her as she smiled at him.

"Have you thought about a place we could start on?" she asked straightforwardly.

He pondered for a moment. "Well… I may have this map of Kyoto just lying around in my room. I'll go look for it when I have the time… maybe later, I don't know," he told her, "ah, but I think going to the least visited places would be even more interesting and maybe we can get more historical details from them. You should search up some places we can visit. And consider the address, time, and fees, okay?"

He was actually shocked at himself because he said that much to a girl.

But oh well, it was something they're required to do for school.

"Okay,"

"Okay. To make things easier… could we exchange mails or numbers or something?"

"I don't own a cellphone,"

"Ha?" he reacted, furrowing his eyebrows at her. He suddenly thought that maybe he was judging her. But aren't all teenagers required to have a phone? Well, maybe not, but how come she doesn't have a phone? He looked at her again. She _was_ the type of person who doesn't seem to socialize much, so what was the point of having a phone? He silently clicked his tongue and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, we'll figure this out next—"

Someone was hugging him from behind. What. The. Hell. If anyone would be hugging him like this, it would be Lag. But it didn't smell like Lag, and maybe Lag had gone home already. He always goes home early. Aside from that, it smelled so feminine. So female. So gross. He frowned and turned around sharply, causing it to let go of him. His eyes came in contact with sharp sea blue ones. He took a step back, discreetly scanning this lady stranger. She had light blonde hair which was tied into a hairstyle he hadn't seen before. But it was still decent.

But there was still something lingering in his mind.

"Do I know you?" he blurted out rather harshly, though he really meant to ask it.

She folded her arms and turned away. "I'm Ann Grado, from class 3-B," she introduced in this sharp voice which he couldn't explain. Well at least she wasn't one of the girls who squeeze their voice box dangerously to look cute. She looked at him through cat eyes. "I watched you play soccer the other day. And just so you know, you're not really good at it."

Just who is she to walk around and hug him and introduce herself _then_ tell him he _sucks_ at soccer?

Anger boiled inside him, but he decided to bottle it up. "That's why I'm practicing!" he exclaimed comically, meagerly failing to contain his emotions. He then huffed and folded his arms as well. Perhaps he had already made an enemy. Interesting. "And who are you to tell me that and why did you hug me earlier?" he asked, but he somehow figured that this would be a waste of his time. Moreover, he was starting to talk too much. Which wasn't a good sign. "Bah, never mind…" he muttered as he turned away from her, meeting Emi's eyes.

He thought she had gone home already. Why does this girl always manage to scare the shit out of him?

He subtly shook his head and walked around her, slowly picking up his cadence as if the two girls would chase after him. He didn't want to assume—hell, he didn't want it to happen—but he was simply just avoiding more trouble. Girls are always troublesome to him. He doesn't know about their nature, so it's always better off for him to avoid them.


End file.
